锈荚藤 xiu jia teng

Lianas, with tendrils. Young branches densely pubescent with brownish hairs, later glabrous; tendrils pubescent when young. Petiole 3-8 cm, rusty or brownish pubescent; leaf blade cordate or suborbicular, 5-10 × 4-9 cm, papery, abaxially pu­bescent on veins, or glabrous or nearly so, adaxially glabrous, smooth and shiny, veins 9-11, primary and secondary veins slightly convex on both surfaces, base cordate, apex bifid to 1/2 or more, lobes apiculate or acuminate at apex. Inflorescence racemose-corymbose, terminal, rusty pubescent; bracts and bracteoles linear. Pedicel 4-5 cm, slender, pubescent. Flowers fragrant. Receptacle cylindric, 5-10 mm, slender; calyx lobes reflexed at anthesis, oblong-lanceolate, ca. 12 mm, acuminate. Petals white, broadly obovate, together with (3-4 mm) claw 2-2.5 × 1.2-1.8 cm, abaxially pubescent with rusty hairs on lower part and claw, margin crisped, emarginate. Fertile stamens 3; filaments 15-17 mm, pubescent on lower part. Ovary sessile, densely pubescent with rusty hairs; style slender, glabrous ex­cept at base; stigma peltate. Legume oblanceolate, compressed, to 30 × 5 cm, tomentose. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Jun-Jul.

● Open forests, disturbed forests, along streams, thickets. Guang­xi, Hainan, S Yunnan.

Lower Taxa

• Bauhinia erythropoda var. erythropoda
• Bauhinia erythropoda var. guangxiensis D. X. Zhang & T. C. Chen