盐边天门冬 yan bian tian men dong

Herbs dioecious. Stems erect, to more than 40 cm, unarmed, smooth or indistinctly striate; branches striate-ridged. Cladodes in fascicles of 5--10, linear, falcate, 3--4 × ca. 0.5 mm, flat, midvein distinct. Leaf spur short. Inflorescences developing after cladodes. Female flowers: usually paired, subsessile; perianth yellowish green, campanulate, ca. 3 mm; aborted stamens 6, outer ones with filaments and anthers, inserted at middle of outer perianth segments, inner ones nearly without filaments, inserted distally on inner segments; style ca. 1 mm. Fl. Jun.

* Evergreen broad-leaved forests along valleys; ca. 2200 m. SW Sichuan.