白叶藤 bai ye teng

Pergularia sinensis Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 1: 167. 1790; Aganosma edithae Hance; Cryptolepis edithae (Hance) Bentham & J. D. Hooker ex Maximowicz; C. elegans Wallich ex G. Don; Emericia sinensis (Loureiro) Schultes; Periploca chinensis Sprengel; P. sinensis (Loureiro) Steudel; Streptocaulon chinense (Sprengel) G. Don; Vallaris sinensis (Loureiro) G. Don.

Lianas to 3 m; glabrous throughout. Branchlets red-brown, exfoliating. Petiole 5-7 mm; leaf blade oblong to lanceolate, 1.5-6 × 0.8-2.5 cm, base rounded to shallowly cordate, apex rounded, apiculate; lateral veins 5-9 pairs. Cymes terminal or axillary, lax, longer than leaves. Pedicel 1-3.5 cm. Sepals ovate, ca. 1 mm; basal glands 10. Corolla yellowish; tube ca. 5 mm; lobes oblong lanceolate or linear, 1-1.5 cm. Corona lobes club-shaped. Anthers glabrous. Follicles cylindric, to 12.5 cm × 6-8 mm. Seeds brown, oblong, ca. 1 cm × 2 mm; coma ca. 2.5 cm. Fl. Apr-Sep, fr. Jun-Dec.

Thickets, forest edges; 100-800 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam]

The stems and leaves are used externally for the treatment of snake bites, traumatic injury, and scabies. A fine, strong bast fiber, obtained from the inner bark, is used for making ropes.