毛蕊山柑 mao rui shan gan

Capparis cerasifolia A. Gray; C. lutaoensis C. E. Chang.

Shrubs or trees, 2-6 m tall. New branches with dense silky branched trichomes, promptly or eventually glabrescent, at base with needlelike cataphylls ca. 1 mm. Stipular spines 3-6 mm, flat or slightly recurved, sometimes absent. Petiole 6-8(-12) mm; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate to rarely nearly obovate, 6-15.5 × (1.6-)2.5-6 cm, ± leathery, grass-yellow to olive-colored when dry, midvein abaxially raised and adaxially almost flat, secondary veins (6 or)7-10(-12) on each side of midvein, thin, and yellow, reticulate veins obvious, base cuneate, broadly cuneate, or sometimes nearly rounded, apex acuminate with a tip to 2 cm, sometimes abruptly acute, or rarely obtuse. Inflorescences axillary, racemes, 1-5(-10)-flowered; rachis base and apex with subulate scales 1-2.5 mm. Pedicel 1-2[-4] cm, tomentose at anthesis but later glabrescent, base with a narrow bract. Sepals 4-6 × 2.5-4 mm, ± equal, outside shortly pubescent; sepals of outer whorl with apex acute to obtuse; sepals of inner whorl with apex obtuse to rounded. Petals white, pink, or pale green, oblong-obovate, 8-10 × 3-4 mm, apex outside tomentose. Stamens 20-30; filaments 2-3 cm; anthers 0.7-1.2 mm. Gynophore 1.5-2.5 cm, densely white tomentose at anthesis but glabrescent in fruit; ovary ellipsoid, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm, densely white tomentose at anthesis but later glabrescent; placentae 2 or 3; ovules many. Fruit black, subglobose to almost ellipsoid, 8-10(-20) mm in diam., glabrous, smooth or verruculose, apex umbonate; pericarp solid; stipe ca. 0.5 mm thick. Seeds 5-15(-25) per fruit, black, ca. 6 × 5 × 4 mm. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jul-Dec.

Thickets, forests; below 1100 m. Guangdong, E Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan (Huoshao Dao) [Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].