紫玉盘 zi yu pan

Guatteria cordata Dunal; Uvaria badiiflora Hance; U. cordata (Dunal) Alston (1931), not Schumacher & Thonning (1827); U. dolichoclada Hayata; U. macclurei Diels; U. macrophylla var. microcarpa (Champion ex Bentham) Finet & Gagnepain; U. microcarpa Champion ex Bentham; U. obovatifolia Hayata; U. synsepala Miquel.

Shrubs to 18 m tall, climbing, stellate pubescent throughout or stellate tomentose when young and glabrescent, hairs ferruginous in dried specimens. Petiole 5-10 mm; leaf blade obovate, oblong-obovate, elliptic, or broadly oblong, 9-30 × 3-15 cm, leathery, secondary veins 9-14(-22) on each side of midvein, abaxially elevated, and usually adaxially impressed when dry, base shallowly cordate, truncate, rounded, or rarely cuneate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded and mostly apiculate. Inflorescences leaf-opposed or rarely extra-axillary, sometimes cymose, 1- or 2(or more)-flowered; bracts ovate to broadly elliptic, 4-7 mm. Flowers 2-3.8 cm in diam. Pedicel 0.5-4 cm. Sepals ovate to broadly ovate, 4-5 × 4-5 mm. Petals dark red, purple, or purplish, subovate to oblong-elliptic, 1.2-2 × 0.6-1.3 cm, spreading, apex rounded to obtuse. Stamens oblong, ca. 9 mm; connectives ovoid, apex puberulent or glabrous; outer stamens sterile, oblanceolate, ca. 7 mm. Carpels oblong, ca. 5 mm; stigmas horseshoe-shaped, apex 2-cleft and involute. Monocarps orange, ovoid to subterete, 1-3 × 1-1.5 cm, not constricted between seeds; epicarp not spiny, hairy or glabrous. Seeds globose, 6.5-7.5 mm in diam. Fl. Mar-Sep, fr. Jul-Mar. 2n = 22.

Open forests, scrub; 400-1400 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, SE Yunnan [Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

The fine strong bast fiber obtained from the bark of Uvaria macrophylla is used for making sacks. The roots are used as a sedative, to stop vomiting, and for rheumatism. The leaves are used to relieve pain and to reduce swellings.