瓶花木 ping hua mu

Shrubs or small trees, 1-4(-6) m tall, turning black or dark brown when dry; branches weakly flattened to angled or terete, glabrous to puberulent, with nodes sometimes thickened, sometimes with reduced internodes and congested nodes. Petiole 0.5-1.5 cm, glabrous; leaf blade drying leathery, obovate to broadly elliptic, 2.5-7.5 × 1.5-4.5 cm, glabrous on both surfaces, adaxially usually shiny, base cuneate to obtuse, apex rounded; secondary veins not visible or 4-6 pairs; stipules 1.5-3 mm, margins often sparsely to densely ciliate. Inflorescence 1.5-3 × 2-2.5 cm; peduncle 0.5-1 cm. Flowers sessile or pedicellate, pedicels or subtending inflorescence axes to 2 mm. Calyx glabrous to puberulent; ovary portion cylindrical-ellipsoid, 3-4 mm; limb 1-1.5 mm, truncate to denticulate. Corolla glabrous outside; tube 4-5 mm; lobes ovate-ligulate, ca. 2 mm, obtuse. Drupe 8-11 × 3-5 mm, glabrous. Fl. Jul-Nov, fr. Aug-Dec.

Foreshore mud at seasides; near sea level. Hainan [Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; SE Asia to Pacific islands, Australia, Madagascar].