文山蛇根草 wen shan she gen cao

Herbs, weak in lower part, ascending above, to 20 cm tall; stems densely pilosulous to hispidulous. Petiole 0.5-1 cm, hispidulous; leaf blade drying papery, adaxially grayish green, pallid abaxially, ovate to lanceolate, 1.5-3.5(-7) × 0.8-2(-3) cm, subglabrous to sparsely hispidulous adaxially, subglabrous except pilosulous on veins abaxially, base cuneate to obtuse, apex obtuse; secondary veins 5 or 6 pairs; stipules glabrous, 2-parted almost to base, 2.5-3 mm, lobes subulate-triangular, with globose gland at apex and sometimes also stipitate glands at base. Inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered, glabrous; pedicels 3-5 mm; bracts 2, fused to hypanthium base, linear-subulate, ca. 5 mm. Flowers reportedly distylous, pedicellate or pedunculate. Calyx glabrous; hypanthium turbinate, ca. 1.5 mm, 6-8-ribbed; lobes 5-7, lanceolate-linear, sometimes unequal, 1-3 mm. Corolla white, funnelform with throat markedly expanded, outside glabrous; tube 18-20 mm, densely white villous inside through throat; lobes 6 or 7, subovate, 3-4 mm, dorsally with very short horn, apex rostrate. Capsules subobcordate, ca. 3 × 8 mm, with persistent bracteoles. Fl. May.

● Streamsides in forests. Yunnan (Wenshan).

In the protologue and FRPS (71(1): 120. 1999), H. S. Lo described the flowers as probably distylous, but only the putative short-styled form has been documented.