腺苞马蓝 xian bao ma lan

Goldfussia glandibracteata (D. Fang & H. S. Lo) C. Y. Wu ex C. C. Hu.

Herbs to 50 cm tall, anisophyllous. Stems 4-angled, sulcate, bifariously pubescent. Petiole (0-)3-7 mm, sparsely pubescent; leaf blade ovate-elliptic to rarely narrowly ovate or lanceolate, smaller of pair 2-3.5 × 0.4-2.9 cm and larger one 5.5-12.5 × 2-4.5 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent along veins, cystoliths prominent, secondary veins 4-7 on each side of midvein, base attenuate, margin serrulate, apex caudate to acuminate. Inflorescences axillary, pedunculate heads; peduncle 0.6-3.5 cm, simple or 3-furcately branched, sulcate, bifariously pubescent, apically thickened; bracts elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 6-13 mm, caducous, multicellular gland-tipped pubescent, abaxially densely covered with cystoliths, apex acute; bracteoles lanceolate, ca. 5 × 1 mm. Calyx 5-lobed almost to base; lobes lanceolate to linear, 6-8 mm, unequal with one longer than others, outside multicellular gland-tipped pubescent. Corolla purple, ca. 3.5 cm, outside sparsely gland-tipped pilose but subglabrous at anthesis, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 2 mm wide for ca. 8 mm then gradually widened to ca. 1.2 cm at mouth; lobes ovate, ca. 3 mm, apex emarginate. Stamens 4, included; filaments pilose; short filament pair ca. 2 mm, equal, incurved; longer filament pair 7-8 mm, unequal; anther thecae subspherical, ca. 1.3 mm in diam., nodding. Ovary brownish gland-tipped pilose; style ca. 2.8 cm, gland-tipped pilose. Capsule not seen. Fl. Oct.

● Limestone hills; 400-600 m. Guangxi (Lingyun).

Known only from the type, Strobilanthes glandibracteata is very close to and may be conspecific with the very variable S. dimorphotricha, differing only in the densely gland-tipped bracts.