西蜀苹婆 xi shu ping po

Sterculia roxburghiana Wallich.

Trees or shrubs; bark gray. Branchlets puberulent. Stipules subulate, minutely hairy, caducous; petiole 2.5-3.5 cm, both ends pulvinate; leaf blade lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate, 10-23 × 2.5-7.5 cm, minutely pilose, becoming glabrous, lateral veins 9-10 on each side of midrib, slightly connected near margin, base rounded or obtuse, apex obtusely acuminate. Inflorescence racemose, or rarely paniculate, axillary, 5-7 cm, much shorter than leaves, laxly few-flowered, stellate pilose. Pedicel slender, 5-8 mm. Calyx red, campanulate, divided nearly to base, ca. 7 mm, abaxially sparsely pu-berulent, lobes oblong-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, much longer than calyx tube, spreading outward. Male flowers: androgynophore curved, glabrous. Female flowers: ovary globose, densely puberulent. Follicle oblong or oblong-lanceolate, ca. 7 cm, 4-8-seeded, abaxially densely red hirsute, apex beaked. Seeds black, ovoid.

Forested slopes; 800-2000 m. Guizhou, S Sichuan, S Yunnan [Bangladesh, NE India].

The name Sterculia lanceifolia was first published as a nomen nudum in 1814 (Roxburgh, Hort. Bengal. 50. 1814) and is sometimes indicated as having been validated by G. Don (Gen. Hist. 1: 517. 1831, "lancaefolia") but Don only listed the name at the end of the account of Sterculia, under "Species the names of which are only known," stating "Tree 30 feet." Some would regard this as a validating description.