软荚红豆 ruan jia hong dou

Ormosia cathayensis L. Chen; O. semicastrata f. litchii­folia F. C. How; O. semicastrata f. pallida F. C. How.

Trees evergreen, up to 14 m. Bark of stems brown; lenti­cels convex with irregular cracks. Branchlets yellowish pilose. Leaves imparipinnate, 18.5-24.5 cm; petiole, rachis, and petio­lule appressed grayish brown pilose; rachis prolonged 1-2.4 cm below terminal leaflet; leaflets 3-9(-13), green or sometimes glaucous abaxially, ovate-oblong, elliptic, or lanceolate, 4-14.2 × 1-5.7 cm, leathery, glabrous on both surfaces, sometimes ap­pressed pilose along midvein abaxially, base rounded or broadly to narrowly cuneate, apex acuminate or acute, obtuse or retuse; lateral veins 10 or 11 pairs, angled 60° with midvein, arcuate, inconspicuous. Panicles terminal, sometimes axillary, subequal to leaves; peduncle and pedicel densely appressed fulvous pi­lose. Flowers ca. 7 mm. Calyx broadly campanulate, 4-5 mm; teeth triangular, subequal, abaxially densely appressed fulvous tomentose, adaxially sparsely rusty brown pilose. Corolla white, ca. 2 × as long as calyx; standard suborbicular, ca. 4 × 4 mm, claw ca. 4 mm; wings linear-oblanceolate, ca. 4.5 × 2 mm, claw ca. 4.5 mm; keel oblong, ca. 4 × 2 mm, claw ca. 2 mm. Stamens unequal, 5 developed, 5 shorter, reduced and without functional anthers. Ovary ovate, ovary sutures and lower style densely ap­pressed fulvous pubescent; ovules 2. Legumes small, dark brown when dried, suborbicular, compressed, slightly swollen, leathery, 1.5-2 cm, apex shortly beaked, stipe 2-3 mm. Seed 1, red to red-brown, compressed laterally, ca. 9 × 9 × 6 mm; hilum ca. 2 mm. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Aug-Sep.

● Mixed forests, mountains, valleys, streamsides, roadsides; 100-1700 m. SE Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, SE Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, S Jiangxi.