马槟榔 ma bing lang

Capparis sikkimensis Kurz subsp. masaikai (H. Léveillé) Jacobs.

Shrubs or climbers, to 7.5 m tall. New branches reddish, slightly flat, with vertical ridges and stipular stripes, densely shortly rust-colored tomentose. Stipular spines to 5 mm but often absent on flowering twigs, stout, recurved, sulcate, hollow, base inflated, apex sharp. Petiole 1.2-2.1 cm, ca. 2 mm in diam., trichomes like those on branches; leaf blade elliptic, oblong, or sometimes elliptic-obovate, 7-20 × 3.5-9 cm, nearly leathery, often dark reddish brown when dry, abaxially densely rust-colored shortly tomentose but glabrescent, adaxially almost glabrous, midvein slightly broad, abaxially lavender and raised, and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 6-10 on each side of midvein and abaxially lavender and slightly raised, reticulate veins not obvious, base rounded to broadly cuneate, apex rounded to obtuse or sometimes acute to acuminate. Inflorescences axillary subumbels or axillary and terminal together forming a 10-20-cm panicle, 3-8-flowered, densely rust-colored shortly tomentose, often with abortive leaflets; peduncle 1-5 cm. Pedicel 3-4 cm. Sepals 8-12 × 5-8 mm, outside densely rust-colored shortly tomentose, inside glabrous; sepals of outer whorl inwardly concave to hemispheric, leathery; sepals of inner whorl slightly inwardly concave, thin. Petals white to pink, 1.2-1.5 cm, both surfaces tomentose; apical petal pair broadly oblong-obovate, base wrapping disk; basal petal pair narrowly oblong. Stamens 45-50(-65); filaments ca. 1.5 cm; anthers 2-3 mm. Gynophore 2-3 cm, glabrous; ovary ovoid, 2-3 × 1-1.5 mm, apically with several vertical ridges and grooves, glabrous; placentae (3 or)4, each with 7-9 ovules. Fruit reddish purplish brown when mature and dry, globose to nearly ellipsoid, 4-6 × 4-5 cm, with 4-8 vertical rib ridges, crest 3-6 mm tall, apex with a ca. 1.5-cm beak; fruiting pedicel and gynophore together 4.5-7 cm, 3-5 mm in diam., thickened, woody; pericarp reddish purple, ca. 5 mm thick, stiffly leathery. Seeds more than 10 per fruit, reddish purplish brown, ca. 1.8 × 1.5 × 1 cm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Nov-Dec.