峨眉荚蒾 e mei jia mi

Shrubs, deciduous, ca. 75 cm tall. Bark unknown. Branchlets of current year gray-yellowish, with dispersed, raised lenticels; branchlets of previous year gray-yellowish, terete, glabrous, with dispersed, small, raised lenticels. Winter buds oblong, with 2 pairs of separate scales; scales reddish brown, glabrous, apex acute. Leaves always opposite, not clustered at apices of branchlets; stipules absent; petiole reddish, robust, 5-10 mm, glabrous; leaf blade purplish green when young, oblong, 3-7 × 1.5-3 cm, thickly papery, both surfaces glabrous, midvein raised on both surfaces, lateral veins ca. 4-jugate, pinnate, arched, rarely branched, anastomosing near margin, slightly raised abaxially, inconspicuous or slightly impressed adaxially, veinlets transverse, inconspicuous or slightly impressed on both surfaces, not lobed, base cuneate, without glands, margin remotely crenulate except at base, apices of teeth slightly mucronate, apex acute. Flowers appearing with leaves; inflorescence paniculate, terminal or at apices of short lateral branchlets with 1 pair of leaves, ca. 3.5 × 4.5 cm; rays opposite, decussate; first node of inflorescence with 2 rays, dense, glabrous, without large sterile radiant flowers; peduncle 2-3 cm; bracts caducous, leaflike, green, oblong or linear, ca. 1.8 × 0.8 mm, midvein red at base, lateral veins inconspicuous, apex obtuse, sparsely stellate-pubescent or sometimes sparsely ciliate; bracteoles scalelike. Flowers on rays of 1st and 2nd orders, not fragrant, sessile. Calyx reddish; tube tubular-obconical, ca. 1.8 mm, glabrous; lobes broadly ovate, short, ca. 0.8 mm, glabrous, apex acute. Corolla white, hypocrateriform, less than 5 mm in diam., glabrous; tube ca. 3.5 mm; lobes ?spreading, broadly ovate, ca. 1 mm, 1 slightly larger than others, apex rounded, margin entire. Stamens shorter than corolla, inserted at apex of corolla tube; filaments very short; anthers yellow-whitish, elliptic-oblong, ca. 1 mm. Styles slightly exceeding calyx lobes or not; stigmas 3-lobed. Fruit unknown. Fl. Nov-May.

● Mountains; ca. 1300 m. Sichuan (Emei Shan).

This species is represented by the type collection, which appears to have a premature inflorescence, and an additional collection with old flowers. Field work is needed to determine the identity of these plants.