凌霄 ling xiao

Bignonia grandiflora Thunberg, Fl. Jap. 253. 1784; B. chinensis Lamarck; Campsis adrepens Loureiro; C. chinensis (Lamarck) Voss; Tecoma chinensis (Lamarck) K. Koch; T. grandifloraLoiselleur-Deslongchamps.

Stems woody. Leaf rachis 4-13 cm; leaflets 7-9; petiolules 5(-10) mm; blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-6(-9) X 1.5-3(-5) cm, glabrous, base broadly cuneate, margin serrate, apex caudate-acuminate; lateral veins 6 or 7 on each side ofmidrib. Inflorescences short paniculate, terminal; peduncle 15-20 cm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 3 cm, divided halfway; lobes lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm. Corolla red adaxially, orange-red abaxially, ca. 5 cm; lobes semirounded. Stamens inserted at base of corolla tube; filaments linear, 2-2.5 cm; anthers divergent, yellow. Style linear, ca. 3 cm; stigma compressed, 2-lobed. Capsule apex obtuse. Fl. May-Aug. 2n = 36, 38, 40.

Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, cultivated in Taiwan [India, Japan, Pakistan, Vietnam].

The plants are cultivated as ornamentals, and the flowers are used medicinally for promoting diuresis.