碗花草 wan hua cao

Flemingia grandiflora Rottler; Thunbergia bodinieri H. Léveillé; T. fragrans subsp. hainanensis (C. Y. Wu & H. S. Lo) H. P. Tsui; T. hainanensis C. Y. Wu & H. S. Lo.

Vines, herbaceous. Stems almost 4-angled to flattened, sulcate, hirsute. Petiole 0.5-4.5 cm, hirsute; leaf blade oblong-ovate to ovate to broadly ovate to oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3-14 × 1.8-7 cm, both surfaces puberulent to subglabrous except for trichomes along veins or rarely glabrous, palmately 3-5-veined, base rounded to sometimes cuneate or cordate, margin entire, irregularly sinuate, or shallowly coarsely dentate, apex acute to acuminate. Flowers axillary, solitary; peduncle 1.5-5.5 cm; bracteoles ovate, 1.5-2.5 × 0.8-1.5 cm, puberulent, apex acute. Calyx 3-5 mm, unequally 10-17-dentate, glabrous. Corolla white, 3-5 cm, sparsely puberulent; tube basally cylindric for 4-7 mm, throat 1.8-2.3 cm; lobes obovate, 1.3-2.5 × 1.5-2.3 cm. Stamens included; filaments 6-10 mm, glabrous; anther thecae ca. 3 mm, divergent, glabrous. Ovary glabrous; style 1.5-2 cm, exserted; stigma funnel-shaped, ca. 2 mm. Cap-sule glabrous, basal part ca. 7 × 10-13 mm, beak 1.5-1.9 cm. Seeds 4-5 mm in diam., smooth or with scales. Fl. Aug-Jan, fr. Nov-Mar.

Thickets, roadsides; 800-2300 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

Variation in the shape, size, pubescence, and margin form of the leaves is extensive in Thunbergia fragrans, and taxa have been recognized based on these characters. Additional studies of the species from throughout its range are needed to determine whether these should be accorded formal taxonomic status.