双花鞘花 shuang hua qiao hua

Loranthus bibracteolatus Hance, J. Bot. 18: 301. 1880; Elytranthe bibracteolata (Hance) Lecomte; E. bibracteolata var. acuminatissima Merrill; E. bibracteolata var. sinensis Lecomte.

Shrub 0.5-1 m tall. Branches grayish. Petiole 2(-5) mm; leaf blade ovate, ovate-oblong to lanceolate, 8-12 × 2-5 cm, leathery, midvein elevated on both sides, lateral veins usually conspicuous, base cuneate, apex acuminate, rarely subobtuse. Inflorescences solitary or 2-4-fascicled, axillary or in node of branches, 2-flowered umbels; peduncle ca. 4 mm; bract semiorbicular, ca. 1 mm; bracteoles suborbicular, connate, ca. 1 mm. Pedicel ca. 4 mm. Calyx cylindric, ca. 4 mm, limb cupular, ca. 1.5 mm. Mature bud 3.2-3.5 cm. Corolla red with green band at top of tube, slightly curved, tube inflated, throat 6-angled, lobes lanceolate, ca. 14 mm, greenish, reflexed. Filaments 7-8 mm; anthers ca. 3 mm. Berry red, ellipsoid, ca. 9 × 7 mm, smooth, stylar foot beaklike. Fl. Nov-Dec, fr. Dec-Apr.

Forests, mountain slopes, valleys; 300-1800 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, SE Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan [Malaysia, Myanmar, N Vietnam].

Recorded hosts include Antidesma bunius, Cinnamomum camphora, Schima superba, and species of Symplocos. The overall distribution appears to be disjunct.