藤菊 teng ju

Cacalia volubilis Blume, Bijdr. 908. 1826; Senecio araneosus Candolle; S. blumei Candolle; S. cacaliifolius Schultz Bipontinus var. araneosus (Candolle) Franchet; S. hoi Dunn; S. ligularia J. D. Hooker var. araneosus (Candolle) H. Léveillé; Vernonia esquirolii Vaniot.

Subshrubs or herbs, large, scandent, to 3 m or more. Stems becoming woody, ± white arachnoid-tomentose and sometimes also sparsely brown setulose, ± glabrescent. Petiole 3-6 cm, stout, ± tomentose and sometimes sparsely brown setulose; leaf blade adaxially green, ovate or broadly ovate, to 15 × 12 cm, subleathery, abaxially grayish with dense to sparse arachnoid-floccose tomentum and sometimes also brownish setulose on veins, adaxially sparsely arachnoid, glabrescent and sometimes shortly scarious-setulose, palmately 5-7-veined from base, base cordate or sometimes hastate, margin rather remotely minutely to coarsely repand-dentate with mucronulate teeth, apically acute-acuminate-apiculate. Upper and synflorescence leaves smaller, basally cordate to rounded. Capitula discoid, numerous, arranged in rather lax to dense terminal and upper axillary compound corymbs, divaricately branching; branches sparsely to densely white tomentose and sometimes also with brownish glandular hairs; peduncles 5-15 mm, slender, arachnoid-tomentose, basally bracteate, 3-5-bracteolate; bracts and bracteoles linear, 3-4 mm, pubescent. Involucres cylindric, 7-8 × 2-3 mm, calyculate; bracts of calyculus 4 or 5, small; phyllaries ca. 8, linear-oblong, 1.5-2 mm wide, herbaceous, sparsely arachnoid, puberulent, or glabrous, margin broadly scarious, apically acute. Ray florets absent. Disk florets 8-10; corolla white, pale yellow, or purplish, 9-10 mm, with 4-4.5 mm tube and narrowly funnelform limb; lobes oblong-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm, apically acute. Anthers ca. 3.5 mm, anther tails 0.75-0.8 × as long as antheropodia; appendages ovate-lanceolate; antheropodia elongated, narrow, basally only slightly dilated. Style branches ca. 3.7 mm, fringed with rather short papillae, terminal tuft prominent, much longer than laterals. Achenes cylindric, ca. 4 mm, glabrous. Pappus white, 8-9 mm. Fl. Oct-Jan.

Climbing on trees and shrubs in forests and thickets; 800-2000 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan [NE India, Malesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].