厚叶山柑 hou ye shan gan

Shrubs or small trees, 4-15 m tall, with scandent branches. Twigs tan, nearly terete, with simple fulvous trichomes curved distally, gradually glabrescent, with cataphylls at base. Stipular spines 1-3 mm, spreading to recurved, with trichomes, base conic. Petiole 3-5 mm; leaf blade elliptic, 8-13 × 4-5.7 cm, decidedly leathery, abaxially shortly pubescent, adaxially glabrous, midvein adaxially flat or grooved basally or over entire length, secondary veins 5-7 on each side of midvein and abaxially obvious, reticulate veins not obvious, base subcordate, apex obtuse to rounded and mucronulate. Inflorescences at apex on lateral branches forming short racemes, or axillary and terminal on lateral twigs thus forming a panicle, 3-6-flowered; peduncle 2-3 cm, trichomes like those on new twigs. Pedicel 5-7 mm. Sepals 5-6 mm; sepals of outer whorl inwardly concave, outside shortly pubescent, inside glabrous; sepals of inner whorl obovate, ± same size, nearly flat, outside shortly tomentose at middle, inside glabrous. Petals white to purple, obovate-oblong, ca. 7 × 3-4 mm, glabrous except for marginal fringe of trichomes. Stamens ca. 33. Gynophore 2.5-3 cm, glabrous; ovary ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm, glabrous; placentae 2; ovules many. Fruit unknown. Fl. Mar-Apr.

Steep banks and gorges; 600-1200 m. SE Xizang [NE India (Aka Hills, Assam)].

This species is most similar to Capparis cataphyllosa Jacobs of NE India (Manipur) and C. cinerea Jacobs of N Myanmar. The preceding description is based on that of Jacobs (Blumea 12: 476-477. 1965).