河南海棠 he nan hai tang

Sinomalus honanensis (Rehder) Koidzumi.

Shrubs or small trees, to 5–7 m tall. Branchlets reddish brown when old, terete, slender, pubescent when young, soon glabrescent, glabrous when old; buds reddish brown, ovoid; scales villous at margin. Stipules caducous, linear-lanceolate, ca. 6 mm, membranous, pubescent, margin entire, apex acuminate; petiole 1.5–2.5 cm, pubescent; leaf blade broadly ovate, narrowly elliptic, or ovate, 4–7 × 3.5–6 cm, both surfaces puberulous, adaxially soon glabrescent, base rounded, cordate, or truncate, margin doubly serrate, 3–6-lobed, apex acute. Corymb umbel-like, 4–6.5 cm in diam., 5–10-flowered; bracts caducous, linear-lanceolate, 5–6 mm, membranous, pubescent, margin entire, apex acuminate. Pedicel 1.5–3 cm, slender, pubescent when young, soon glabrescent. Flowers ca. 1.5 cm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially sparsely pubescent. Sepals triangular-ovate, ca. 2 mm, shorter than hypanthium, abaxially glabrous, adaxially densely villous, margin entire, apex acute. Petals pinkish white, ovate, 7–8 mm, base subcordate and shortly clawed, apex rounded. Stamens ca. 20, ca. as long as or slightly shorter than petals. Ovary 3- or 4-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 3 or 4, connate at base, glabrous. Pome yellowish red, subglobose, ca. 8 mm in diam.; fruiting pedicel 1.5–3 cm, subglabrous; sepals persistent. Fl. May, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 34*.

Thickets in valleys or on slopes; 800--2600 m. Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Shanxi.

In floral structure, this species is most similar to Malus kansuensis, which is distinguished by its leaves with fewer lobes and coarser serration, caducous sepals, and ellipsoid fruit.