水城淫羊藿 shui cheng yin yang huo

Herbs, 15-30 cm tall. Rhizome creeping, longer than 15 cm, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam. Leaves basal and cauline, trifoliolate; petiole of basal leaf 10-17 cm, petiole of cauline leaf 3-6 cm; leaflets ovate, 4-5.5 × 2-2.5 cm, abaxially appressed whitish puberulent, adaxially glabrous, base deeply cordate with lobes rounded or acute, those of lateral leaflets conspicuously unequal, margin spinose-serrulate, apex long acuminate. Flowering stem with 2 trifoliolate opposite leaves. Inflorescence simple, racemose, few flowered (6-9-flowered), 6-7 cm, glabrous or sparsely glandular pubescent; bracts broadly lanceolate, ca. 1.5 mm, spinulose-serrulate, apex dentiform. Flowers ca. 1 cm in diam. Outer sepals purple, lanceolate, ca. 5 × 2 mm; inner sepals pale yellow, ovate, ca. 4 × 3 mm. Petal spur curved, yellow, shortly horn-shaped, 4-5 mm. Stamens ca. 4 mm; filaments ca. 2 mm. Pistil ca. 4 mm; style ca. 2 mm. Capsules ca. 1 cm; style ca. 3 mm. Fl. Apr-May, fr. May-Jun.

● Thickets on slopes; ca. 1800 m. Guizhou (Shuicheng).