Aceranthus C. Morren & Decaisne; Vindicta Rafinesque.

Herbs, perennial, deciduous or evergreen. Rhizome sympodial, short or horizontally creeping, stout. Stems solitary or caespitose, glabrous, squamate at base. Leaves basal or cauline, simple or compound; petioles of basal leaves longer than those of cauline; leaflets ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or suborbicular, basally cordate, lateral lobes asymmetric, with outer basal lobe longer than inner, usually spiny on margin, apex acute or acuminate. Flowering stem leafless or with 1-4 leaves, opposite or rarely alternate. Inflorescence simple or compound, with terminal raceme or panicle, few or many flowered, glabrous or glandular. Flowers dimerous. Sepals 8 in 2 whorls; inner sepals petaloid. Petals 4, flat, or saccate and prolonged outward into nectariferous pouches or spurs shorter or longer than sepals. Stamens 4, opposite petals; filaments glabrous; anthers dehiscing by 2 oblong valves, curling upward; pollen grains elliptic, smooth, with 3 longitudinal furrows. Ovary with parietal placentation; ovules 6-15; style slender; stigma slightly dilated. Capsule loculicidal. Seeds with conspicuous fleshy aril. 2n = 12.

See Stearn, The Genus Epimedium and Other Herbaceous Berberidaceae [hereafter Gen. Epimedium]. 2002.

Epimedium cavaleriei H. Léveillé (Cat. Pl. Yun-Nan, 18. 1916) is a synonym of Stauntonia cavalerieana Gagnepain (Bull. Soc. Bot. France 55: 47. 1908) in the Lardizabalaceae (see Fl. China 6: 452. 2001).

Also see post-FOC publication: Zhang, Y. J. et al. 2011. A taxonomic revision of unifoliate Chinese Epimedium L. (Berberidaceae). Kew Bull. 66: 253-262.

Insufficiently known species

Epimedium baojingense Q. L. Chen & B. M. Yang, Acta Phy­totax. Sin. 20: 482. 1982 ["baojingensis"].

Epimedium baojingense is known only from the type gathering (Hunan: Baojing County, Lüdong Shan, 23 Apr 1956, B. M. Yang 34, holotype, HNNU). As mentioned by Stearn (Gen. Epimedium, 113. 2002), E. baojingense has stem leaves with only a single leaflet, as in E. simplicifolium. It is reported to differ from E. simplicifolium by having a simple inflorescence with dark yellow hairs.

Epimedium campanulatum Ogisu, Kew Bull. 51: 401. 1996.

According to the author, Epimedium campanulatum is morpho­logically similar to E. ecalcaratum G. Y. Zhong and E. platypetalum K. I. Meyer. Epimedium campanulatum is reported to differ from E. ecal­caratum in having 1 or 2 leaves per flowering stem, and basal and cau­line leaves with only 3, never 5 or 7, leaflets. Epimedium campanulatum differs from E. platypetalum in having compact or shortly creeping rhizomes and compound, rarely simple, inflorescences. It flowers in mid to late May and occurs at ca. 2000 m in Sichuan (Dujiangyan).

Epimedium grandiflorum C. Morren, Belgique Hort. 2: 141. 1852.

Epimedium grandiflorum was described from cultivated plants brought to Belgium (Ghent) from Japan by Philipp Franz von Siebold in 1830. Stearn includes in the range of E. grandiflorum "southern Man­churia," but we have seen no specimens from China. The reports of E. grandiflorum in the Flora of Anhui (see X. H. Qian, Fl. Anhui 2: 346. 1986) and Flora of Zhejiang (see C. S. Ding, Fl. Zhejiang 2: 307-320. 1992) are probably based on plants here treated as E. koreanum.

Epimedium jingzhouense G. H. Xia & G. Y. Li, Nordic J. Bot. 27: 472. 2009.

Epimedium jingzhouense is known only from the type gathering (Hunan: Jingzhou County, Pukou village, 300 m, 8 Apr 2008, Xia et al. s.n., holotype, ZJFC).

Epimedium pseudowushanense B. L. Guo, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 45: 814. 2007.

According to the authors, Epimedium pseudowushanense is mor­phologically similar to E. wushanense but differs in flower structure. It differs from E. mikinorii in having leaves abaxially villous and glaucous, more slender spurs, 10-15 mm, inner sepals broadly ovate or ovate, and purplish or yellow petals with purple lamina. Its flowering time is from Mar-Apr, fruiting is in May, and it occurs at 900-1400 m in Guangxi and Guizhou.

Epimedium pudingense S. Z. He, Y. Y. Wang & B. L. Guo, Ann. Bot. Fenn. 47: 226. 2010.

Epimedium pudingense is known only from the type gathering (Guizhou: Puding County, 1300 m, 13 Apr 1995, S. Z. He 95413, holo­type, HGCM).

Epimedium qingchengshanense G. Y. Zhong & B. L. Guo, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 45: 817. 2007.

Epimedium qingchengshanense is reported to differ from E. far­gesii in having smaller flowers but larger rounded petal lamina and pur­ple filaments. Its flowering time is from May-Jun and it occurs at 900-1500 m in Sichuan (Qingcheng Shan).

Epimedium shennongjiaense Yan J. Zhang & J. Q. Li, Novon 19: 567. 2009 ["shennongjiaensis"].

Epimedium shennongjiaense is known only from the type gath­ering (Hubei: cultivated at Wuhan Botanical Garden from material col­lected at Muyuping, Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, 30 Mar 2007, Y. J. Zhang 148, holotype, HIB; isotype, HIB).

About 50 species: China, India (W Himalaya), Japan, Korea, Russia (Far East), S Europe, and N Africa; 41 species (40 endemic) in China; eight additional species (seven endemic) are insufficiently known.

(Authors: Ying Junsheng (应俊生 Ying Tsun-shen); David E. Boufford, Anthony R. Brach)