台湾鳞花草 tai wan lin hua cao

Herbs to 45(-90) cm tall, suffruticose, erect, isophyllous to conspicuously anisophyllous. Stems 4-angled to 4-angled and sulcate, glabrous or slightly pubescent. Petiole 0.5-2 cm; leaf blade ovate to narrowly elliptic to broadly elliptic to obovate, 2.5-14.5 × (0.8-)1-6 cm, 2-3.8(-5.6) × as long as wide, abaxially sparsely pubescent along veins, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins 4-7 on each side of midvein, base long attenuate and decurrent onto petiole, margin entire to sinuate, apex acuminate. Spikes elongate, 1-5.5 cm, secund; bracts ovate to lanceolate, 3.5-5 × 1-2 mm, 1(or 3)-veined, abaxially and marginally pubescent with non-glandular and sometimes gland-tipped trichomes, apex aristate; bracteoles similar to bracts or narrower. Calyx 5-6 mm, pubescent with non-glandular and sometimes gland-tipped trichomes; posterior lobe ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 5-5.9 × 1.2-1.8 mm, 3-veined; lateral lobes lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 4.5-5.8 × 0.7-0.9 mm; anterior lobes connate at base for 50%-60% of their length, distinct segments lanceolate-subulate and 2.5-3 mm. Corolla white with purple markings on limb, 6.5-9 mm, outside pubescent; lower lip 2.3-3.1 mm, lobes 1-2 × 1-2 mm. Capsule 5-7 mm, distally pubescent. Seeds subcircular to broadly ovate in outline, 1.3-1.8 mm in diam. Fl. Sep-May, fr. Jan-Apr.

● Secondary evergreen broad-leaved forests, along streams, ditches, slopes; 100-2300 m. Guangdong, Taiwan.

Lepidagathis formosensis is similar to L. incurva, if it is indeed distinct. On most plants from Taiwan the bracts and calyx are pubescent with only non-glandular trichomes. On some, however (e.g., B. Bartholomew & D. E. Boufford 6193 at CAS), conspicuous gland-tipped trichomes are present on these structures. In other respects, such plants agree with non-glandular specimens of L. formosensis.