滇南蛇根草 dian nan she gen cao

Herbs, generally procumbent; stems pilosulous or tomentose. Leaves in equal to somewhat unequal pairs; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm, densely pilosulous or tomentose; blade drying thinly papery, usually grayish with veins brown abaxially, ovate, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or lanceolate, 2-5(-7) × 0.8-2.2 cm, adaxially sparsely pilose, multicellular pilose along principal veins abaxially, base cuneate to subrounded, margins sometimes undulate, apex obtuse; secondary veins 7-9 pairs; stipules persistent, ovate, 5-7 mm, glabrescent, ciliate, long acuminate. Inflorescences congested-cymose to subcapitate, several flowered, glabrescent; peduncles 2-3 cm; bracts elliptic-oblong, 5-6 × 1.5-2 mm, obtuse. Flowers distylous, subsessile. Calyx glabrous; hypanthium subturbinate, 0.8-1 mm, 5-ribbed; lobes triangular, ca. 0.4 mm. Corolla tubular-salverform, outside glabrous; tube ca. 2.6 mm, with white villous ring in throat; lobes subtriangular, ca. 1.3 mm, dorsally smooth, obtuse. Infructescences with axes expanded, lax. Capsules oblate-ellipsoid, ca. 1.5 × 3.5 mm, glabrous, shortly white striate. Fl. May.

● Thickets; ca. 1500 m. Yunnan.

The protologue figure, reprinted in FRPS (71(1): 133, t. 32, f. 1-10. 1999), shows a remarkable dimorphism in the shape and internal pubescence of the corollas (salverform and densely barbate in the throat in the long-styled form vs. funnelform and glabrous internally in the short-styled form), but the protologue description said only that the corollas of both forms are similar; thus, this figure may deserve re-checking.