小果毛蕊茶 xiao guo mao rui cha

Camellia obscurinervis H. T. Tsai & K. M. Feng.

Shrubs 2-4 m tall. Young branches grayish brown, glabrous; year-old branchlets with indumentum ± persistent; current year branchlets densely grayish brown pubescent and spreading villous. Petiole 1-2 mm, densely pubescent and spreading villous; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 2-3.5 × 1-1.5 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially pale green and villous along midvein when young but soon glabrescent, adaxially dark green and hirtellous along midvein, midvein raised on both surfaces, secondary veins ca. 5 on each side of midvein and adaxially visible or obscure on both surfaces, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin serrulate, apex bluntly acute to shortly acuminate. Flowers solitary, 1-1.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 2-3 mm, thickened toward apex; bracteoles ca. 4, semiorbicular, 0.5-1 mm, outside puberulent, margin ciliolate. Sepals 5, semiorbicular, 1.5-2 mm, crustaceous, outside apically puberulent, margin membranous and ciliolate. Petals 5, white, broadly obovate, 8-10 × 4-6 mm, basally connate for ca. 2 mm. Stamens 8-9 mm, glabrous; outer filament whorl connate for basal 1/3 into a fleshy cup. Ovary white tomentose, 3-loculed; style 8-9 mm, glabrous, apically 3-parted. Capsule globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., 1-loculed with 1 seed; pericarp thinly leathery, splitting into 3 valves; columella abortive. Seed brown, globose, ca. 1 cm in diam. Fl. Feb-Mar, fr. Oct.

● Thickets; (400-)900-1100 m. W Sichuan.