心瓣蝇子草 xin ban ying zi cao

Melandrium cardiopetalum (Franchet) Handel-Mazzetti.

Herbs perennial. Roots clustered, cylindric or spiniform. Stems diffuse, supine, slender, 40--100 cm, branched, pubescent. Leaves elliptic, 2--3(--4) × 0.7--1.5(--1.7) cm, both surfaces subglabrous, abaxially sparsely villous at midvein, ciliate, midvein prominent, base attenuate, apex acute. Dichasial cymes lax and broad, with flowers ca. 2 cm in diam. Pedicel longer, rarely shorter, than calyx, densely villous; bracts linear-lanceolate, sparsely villous. Calyx tubular-clavate, 1.5--1.8 cm × ca. 3 mm, longitudinal veins obscure, villous or subglabrous; calyx teeth ovate-lanceolate, margin membranous, apex obtuse. Androgynophore 5--8 mm, glabrous. Petals pale red, 2--2.5 cm; claws cuneate, glabrous, with auricles; limbs obcordate, 6--7 mm in diam., slightly emarginate or shallowly bifid at apex; lobes broadly ovate, margin entire; coronal scales orbicular, margin entire. Stamens slightly exserted; filaments glabrous; anthers dark violet. Styles exserted. Capsule ovoid-globose, ca. 1 cm, shorter than calyx. Seeds reniform. Fl. Jul--Sep, fr. Aug--Oct.

* Scrub, forest margins; 700--3200 m. SW Sichuan, SE Xizang (Zayü Xian), NW Yunnan.