Aneilema kainantense Masamune, Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Taiwan 33: 27. 1943.

Herbs perennial. Roots fibrous, ca. 1 mm in diam., densely lanate. Rhizomes absent. Main stem undeveloped, with basal, rosulate leaves; fertile stems several, arising from base of main stem, suberect or ascending, rarely creeping proximally, 20--60 cm, densely hirsutulous or glabrous. Basal leaves with sheath hirsutulous throughout or only along mouth slit; blade 10--20 × 3--5 cm; cauline leaves much shorter, leaf blade less than 8 cm; all leaves subglabrous or hirsute only at margin and along midvein. Cincinni 2 or 3 on each stem, capitate at anthesis, slightly lax in fruit, several flowered, sometimes only 1 flower fertile; involucral bracts leaflike, distal ones often with sheath but no blade, much shorter than leaves; bracts ovate, 3--4 mm, caducous; pedicels straight, short at anthesis, 4--6 mm in fruit. Sepals elliptic, 3.5--4 mm, persistent. Petals blue or purple, obovate-orbicular. Fertile stamens 2; filaments pubescent; staminodes 3; antherodes 3-sect. Capsule broadly ellipsoid, trigonous, 4--5 mm. Seeds 2 per valve, brown-gray, radiate striate. Fl. Apr--May.

Murdannia kainantensis is not fully understood. From the specimens available, it appears fairly similar to M. loriformis and M. simplex. It differs from M. loriformis in having roots more robust, fertile stems mostly erect or ascending, pedicels straight, and seeds without fine, white reticulate sculpturing; from M. simplex in having roots more slender and seeds not white radiate verrucose; and from both species in having leaves narrower, often hairy. The specimens from Fujian have slightly wider and subglabrous leaves.

* ?Forests. E Fujian (Fuzhou Shi), Guangdong (Guangzhou Shi and islands), S Guangxi (Qinzhou Xian), Hainan (Ledong Xian).