福建紫薇 fu jian zi wei

Lagerstroemia chekiangensis Cheng.

Shrubs or small trees, ca. 4 m tall, much branched. Branchlets terete, densely gray or yellow-brown pubescent. Petiole 2-5 mm, pubescent; leaf blade elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 4.5-3 × 2.5-6 cm, leathery, abaxially puberulous on midvein and lateral veins, lateral veins 10-17 pairs, base attenuate to subrounded, apex shortly acuminate or acute. Panicles 8-18 cm, open, densely pubescent. Floral tube (5 or)6-merous, 5-8 mm, 12-14-deeply ribbed to sharply ridged, densely yellow-brown pubescent to nearly glabrous at anthesis; sepals deltate, 2-3.5 mm, adaxially glabrous, caudate, pubescent at apex; annulus subtending sepals thickened; epicalyx segments conspicuous, typically spreading, broad, flattened, ca. 1/2 as long as sepals, auriculate. Petals reddish to pink, ovate to suborbicular, 9-12 mm including claw 4-6 mm, base obtuse. Stamens ca. 35, dimorphic. Ovary glabrous. Capsules 8-12 × 5-8 mm, 4- or 5-valved. Seeds including wing ca. 8 mm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Aug.

● Mixed forests, low mountains. Fujian, Hubei, Zhejiang.