盘托楼梯草 pan tuo lou ti cao

Elatostema paragungshanense W. T. Wang.

Herbs perennial, monoecious or dioecious, 30-100 cm tall, glabrous. Stems ascending or erect, simple or rarely branched, lower stems brown furfuraceous. Leaves alternate; nanophylls absent; stipules narrowly linear or subulate, 3-5 × 0.1-0.3 mm, with cystoliths; petiole 0-0.5 mm; leaf blade obliquely oblong or obliquely oblong-lanceolate, (4.5-)8-15 × (1.5-)2.5-5 cm, herbaceous, major basal lateral veins asymmetric, 1 basal, the other arising above base, cystoliths conspicuous, dense; base obliquely cuneate, margin dentate, apex acuminate or cuspidate. Male inflorescences solitary, simple, 10-12 × 8-10 mm; peduncle 15-80 mm; receptacle elliptic or nearly oblong, 4-10 × 3-6 mm; bracts connate, 2-2.5 mm; bracteoles linear. Female inflorescences 5-9 mm in diam.; peduncle 0-1 mm; receptacle 4-8 mm; bracts lanceolate; bracteoles nearly linear. Male flowers 4-merous. Achenes narrowly ovoid, 8-ribbed. Fl. Jan-Jun.

Montane forests, evergreen riverine forests, or valley forests; 500-2100 m. W Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Laos, Sikkim, Thailand].