鼠鞭草

Viola enneasperma L., Sp. Pl. 2: 937. 1753.

Small herbs, often woody at the base, 10-20 cm tall, subglabrous. Leaves alternate, more or less sessile; blade narrowly lanceolate-elliiptic, 1-3 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, the base decurrent into petiole, the apex acute with a mucro, margins subentire or vary remotely crenulate; stipules in pairs, hyaline, persistence, triangular to subulate, 1-2 mm long, the tip glandular. Flowers solitary, axillary, zygomorphic, with a pair triangular to subulate, 1-2 mm long, the tip glandular. Flowers solitary, axillary, zygomorphic, with a pair of bracteoles a the joint of peduncle and pedicel; peduncle 4- 20 mm long, 0.7-1 mm wide, apex acuminate, margins entire, without appendage at base, persistent; petal 5, unequal, the posterior pair oblong-lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, ca. 1.2 mm wide, the middle pair lanceolate-falcate, 1-2 mm wide, the anterior one broadly spathulate, 5-13 mm long, 4-10 mm wide; spur 1-2 mm long, densely puberulous on the inner surface; stamens 5, connivent around the gynoecium; filaments free, ca. 0.5 mm long; anthers a celled, ca. 1 mm long; the terminal connivent appendages ca, 0.6 mm long, membraneous, the anterior two stamens with an elongate, recurved gland at the base; ovary ovoid-globose, unilocular, unilocular, tricarpellate; style simple, ca. 1.5 mm long, geniculate at base, conspicuously clavate. Fruit a 3-valced capsule, subglobose, ca. 4-5 mm in diameter, glabrous, valves leathery, boat-shaped. Seeds ellipsoid, ca. 2 mm long, 1.2 mm wide, longitudinally ribbed. Chromosome number n =8 (Peng & Chen, 1986).

Pingtung: Maopitou, Wang 2906, Huang & Huang 13532; Fengchuesha, Huang K043.

Widely in Africa and Madagascar, scattered in India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, S.E. China, the Philippines, Borneo, E. Java, New Guinea and Australia. Taiwan, recently found in Hengchun Peninsula, growing on open grassland near the seashore.