小叶楤木 xiao ye cong mu

Aralia lantsangensis G. Hoo.

Shrubs or treelets, 1.5-10 m tall, andromonoecious. Branches with short prickles. Leaves (2 or)3-pinnately compound, with a pair of accessory leaflets at each division of rachis; petiole glabrous, with recurved prickles; petiolules (0-)0.5-3 mm; leaflets 5-11 per pinna, ovate to elliptic, 3.5-11 × 2.5-5 cm, papery to leathery, both surfaces glabrous, secondary veins 6-9 pairs, abaxially conspicuous, reticulate veins inconspicuous on both sides, slightly impressed adaxially, base rounded to subcordate, margin serrulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescence a large, terminal panicle of umbels, glabrous, with short prickles; primary axis to ca. 100 cm; secondary axes 30-40 cm; ultimate axes with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and several lateral umbels of male flowers; bracts persistent, narrowly oblong, to 4.5 cm; umbels 7-15-flowered; pedicels 5-13 mm, glabrous. Ovary 5-carpellate; styles 5, united basally, free apically. Fruit globose to ovoid-globose, 3-3.5 mm in diam.; styles persistent, recurved. Fl. Sep-Mar.

Secondary forests, stream banks in forests, hillsides, roadsides; 700-1800 m. S and SW Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].