小绿刺 xiao lü ci

Capparis cuspidata B. S. Sun; C. tenera Dalzell var. caudata B. S. Sun.

Trees or shrubs, 1.3-2.5(-7) m tall. Stipular spines on stems ca. 5 mm, stout, straight or slightly recurved, base inflated. Twigs green to yellowish green when dry, terete, slender, with vertical slender stripe, without stipular spine or with ascending and slightly incurved ca. 1 mm spines; new twigs glabrous or with extremely thin pale brown stellate trichomes, later glabrescent. Petiole 3-5 mm; leaf blade ovate to elliptic, 3-7 cm, membranous when young but herbaceous when mature, midvein abaxially raised, adaxially impressed, thinly furrowed, or flat, secondary veins 3 or 4 on each side of midvein, reticulate veins inconspicuous, base rounded to cuneate, apex attenuate into a long tail; tail falcately curved or straight, (1-)1.5-2.5 cm, ca. 2 mm wide at middle. Inflorescences superaxillary rows, 1-3-flowered. Pedicel 6-12(-15) mm. Sepals 3-5 × 2-3 mm, outside glabrous, margin and inside tomentose; sepals of outer whorl ovate, basally shallowly saccate; sepals of inner whorl elliptic. Petals white, anterior pair elliptic and posterior pair ovate, 6-7 × 3-4 mm, distinct, outside almost glabrous, inside tomentose. Stamens 12-20; filaments 1.5-1.9 cm; anthers 1-1.3 mm. Gynophore 1.4-2.5 cm, glabrous; ovary ca. 1 mm, glabrous; placentae 2. Fruit yellow to orangish red, globose, 6-10 mm in diam., nearly smooth; stipe ca. 0.5 mm thick. Seeds (1 or)2-4 per fruit, 5-6 mm. Fl. Mar-Jun, fr. Aug-Dec.

Roadsides, streambanks, valleys, scattered forests, thickets, often on limestone; 300-1900 m. Guangxi, S and SW Hunan, S Yunnan [N Laos].