银钩花 yin gou hua

Kinginda thorelii (Pierre) Kuntze; K. tomentosa (J. D. Hooker & Thomson) Kuntze; Mitrephora bousigoniana Pierre; M. collinsae Craib; M. edwardsii Pierre; M. thorelii Pierre; M. thorelii var. bousigoniana (Pierre) Finet & Gagnepain; M. thorelii var. microphylla Finet & Gagnepain; ?M. vandiflora Kurz.

Trees to 20 m tall. Branches densely hairy when young. Petiole 4-12.5 mm, densely hairy; leaf blade ovate, lanceolate, or rarely oblong, 6.5-21.5 × 3-10 cm, leathery, abaxially densely hairy, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins (8-)14-20 on each side of midvein, base rounded to slightly cordate, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Inflorescence rachides unbranched, internodes short. Pedicel 1.1-2.3 cm; bracteoles 4.5-7.5 × 3.5-9 mm. Sepals ovate, 5-9 × 5-9 mm. Outer petals pale yellow turning dark yellow, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 1.6-2(-3.4) × 0.7-1.8 cm, margin undulate on older flowers; inner petals cream to yellow with apical purple streaks, 0.8-1.7 × 0.7-1.3 cm. Stamens 1-1.3 mm. Carpels 12-17, 1.5-1.7 mm; ovules 10-12 per carpel. Fruiting pedicel 1.5-3.4 cm; monocarp stipes 1.6-3(-3.9) cm; monocarps subglobose, 1.2-2.3 × 0.8-2 cm, densely hairy, smooth, without longitudinal ridge. Seeds ca. 12 × 8 mm. Fl. Jan-Apr, fr. May-Sep.

Wet and dry evergreen broad-leaved forests; below 100-1200 m. W Guangxi, S Guizhou, Hainan, S Yunnan [Cambodia, India (Assam), Laos, Thailand, Vietnam].

The wood of Mitrephora tomentosa is used for building carts and as structural timbers. The bark is a source of saponins and is used as a soap.