沙地蓝耳草 sha di lan er cao

Tradescantia loureiroana Schultes & J. H. Schultes in Roemer & Schultes, Syst. Veg. 7: 1178. 1830, based on T. geniculata Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 1: 193. 1790, not Jacquin (1760); Cyanotis geniculata C. B. Clarke.

Herbs annual; roots fibrous. Stems branched and twisting, red. Leaves all cauline; leaf blade linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, abaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Cincinni solitary, terminal; peduncle 2.5--6 cm; bracts 5--13 mm. Sepals connate at base, lanceolate, 5--6 mm, abaxially lanate. Petals blue or blue-purple, 6--8 mm. Filaments blue lanate. Capsule trigonous, ca. 2 mm, hirsutulous at apex. Seeds gray-brown, finely reticulate. Fl. winter.

Open places. SW Guangdong (Xuwen Xian), Hainan [Vietnam].

The concept of Cyanotis loureiroana has not been well understood, and Clarke (in A. de Candolle & C. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 3: 250. 1881) treated it as a doubtful species. It is similar in appearance to C. papilionacea, in which the rosulate, basal leaves are smaller or absent, but to C. cristata in capsule features.