粗梗连蕊茶 cu geng lian rui cha

Camellia yangkiangensis Hung T. Chang.

Shrubs or trees, 1.5-5(-12) m tall. Current year branchlets densely brown hispidulous, indumentum ± persistent. Petiole 3-5 mm, hispidulous; leaf blade elliptic-ovate to elliptic, (3.5-)4-6.5 × 1.5-2.5 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green and villous along midvein, adaxially dark green, slightly shiny, and hirtellous along midvein, midvein raised on both surfaces, secondary veins 6-8 on each side of midvein, abaxially raised, and adaxially slightly impressed but sometimes obscure on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate to obtuse, margin serrulate, apex bluntly acuminate to caudate. Flowers axillary or subterminal, solitary or paired. Pedicel ca. 4 mm, stout, thickened toward apex, hispidulous; bracteoles 2 or 3, persistent, bluntly triangular to broadly ovate, 2.5-3 mm, outside yellowish brown pubescent, inside sericeous, margin ciliolate. Calyx cupular, 5-6 mm; lobes 5, persistent, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 3-4 mm, thickly crustaceous, outside densely yellowish brown pubescent, inside sericeous, margin thin and ciliolate. Petals 5 or 6, white, broadly obovate, 1.3-2 × 1-1.8 cm, outside sparsely puberulent, basally connate for ca. 3 mm, apex rounded to slightly retuse. Stamens 1.5-1.8 cm, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate for ca. 3 mm. Ovary glabrous, 3-loculed; style 1.5-1.8 cm, apically 3-parted for 7-9 mm. Capsule subglobose, ca. 1.6 cm in diam., 1-loculed with 1 seed; pericarp ca. 1 mm thick. Seed brown, subglobose, ca. 1.3 cm in diam. Fl. Feb-Mar, fr. Oct. 2n = 30*.

● Evergreen broad-leaved forests, mixed forests, thickets; 900-2500 m. C, NE, and SE Yunnan.