滇南离蕊茶 dian nan li rui cha

Camellia taheishanensis F. C. Zhang.

Shrubs or trees, 5-12 m tall. Year-old branchlets grayish brown; current year branchlets green to yellowish green, glabrous. Petiole 5-7 mm, abaxially pubescent; leaf blade oblong-elliptic, elliptic, or oblong, 6.5-11 × 3-4.5 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially pale green, ferruginous glandular puncticulate, and sparsely villous along midvein, adaxially green and glabrous, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially slightly raised, secondary and reticulate veins ± raised on both surfaces, base cuneate to obtuse, margin serrulate, apex shortly caudate and with a blunt tip. Flowers axillary, solitary, subsessile. Bracteoles and sepals ca. 6; outer 2 bracteoles and sepals semiorbicular to broadly ovate, 1.5-2.5 × 2.5-3.5 mm; inner 4 bracteoles and sepals suborbicular, 4-6 mm in diam., subleathery, glabrous, margin membranous and ciliolate. Petals 5, white or pink, obovate, 8-9 × 5-6 mm, basally connate for ca. 2 mm, apex rounded. Stamens ca. 6 mm; filaments glabrous; outer filament whorl connate for 2-3 mm. Ovary ovoid, ca. 2 mm, densely tomentose; styles 3(or 4), distinct, glabrous. Capsule globose to subglobose, 3.5-5 × 2.5-4 cm, 3-loculed with 2 seeds per locule, apex sunken; pericarp yellow and smooth, ca. 1.5 mm thick when dry. Seeds grayish brown, semiglobose, 1-2 cm in diam., smooth. Fl. Apr, fr. Oct-Nov.

● Forests; 1400-1900 m. S Yunnan.