早花忍冬 zao hua ren dong

Shrubs, deciduous, to 2 m tall. Winter buds with a pair of acute, cartilaginous outer scales covering membranous inner scales. Young branches usually with long spreading hairs. Petiole 3-5 mm, densely villous; leaf blade broadly ovate, 1-7.5 × 0.9-4.5 cm, both surfaces densely adpressed pubescent, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin ciliate, apex acute to apiculate. Inflorescences axillary paired flowers and at base of new shoots, flowers opening early in season; peduncle very short, usually concealed by bud scales at anthesis, to 1.2 cm at fruiting stage, usually glabrous; bracts broadly lanceolate, 3-7 mm, margin often ciliate and glandular; bracteoles absent. Paired ovaries free, suborbicular, usually glabrous. Calyx cupular, sometimes shallowly lobed, ciliate. Corolla yellowish white to pink, subregular, funnelform, ca. 1 cm, outside glabrous, deeply lobed; lobes erect to recurved, oblong, 6-7 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens and style exserted; anthers dark pink; style glabrous. Berries red, globose, 6-8 mm in diam.; seeds brownish, oblong, ca. 4.5 mm, smooth. Fl. Apr, fr. May-Jun. 2n = 18.

Forests, scrub; 200-600 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning [Japan, Korea, Russia].