马㼎儿: ma jiao er

Bryonia japonica Thunberg in Murray, Syst. Veg., ed. 14, 870. 1784; Melothria argyi H. Léveillé; M. formosana Hayata; M. indica Loureiro; M. japonica (Thunberg) Maximowicz ex Cogniaux; M. leucocarpa (Blume) Cogniaux var. rubella Gagnepain; Neoachmandra indica (Loureiro) W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes; N. japonica (Thunberg) W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes; Zehneria indica (Loureiro) Keraudren; Z. omeiensis Z. Y. Zhu.

Plants scandent. Stems and branches filiform, glabrous. Petiole slender, 2.5-3.5 cm, villous at first, glabrescent; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, polymorphic, triangular-ovate, ovate-cordate, or hastate, 3-5 × 2-4 cm, membranous, unlobed or 3-5-lobed, abaxially glabrous, adaxially scabrous, apex acute or rarely shortly acuminate. Plants monoecious. Male flowers solitary, or 2 or 3 in a raceme; peduncle slender, very short, glabrous; pedicels filiform, 3-5 mm, glabrous; calyx broadly campanulate, ca. 1.5 mm, base acute or obtuse; corolla pale yellow, puberulent; segments oblong or ovate-oblong, 2-2.5 × 1-1.5 mm; stamens 3, two 2-celled and one 1-celled, sometimes all 2-celled; filaments short, ca. 0.5 mm; anthers ovoid-oblong or oblong, ca. 1 mm, pubescent; anther cells curved, puberulent; connective broad, apex produced. Female flowers solitary or rarely paired in same axil as male flowers; pedicel filiform, 1-2 cm, glabrous; corolla broadly campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm in diam.; segments lanceolate, 2.5-5 × 1-1.5 mm, apex slightly obtuse; ovary narrowly ovoid, 3.5-4 × 1-2 mm; style short, ca. 1.5 mm; stigmas 3; staminodes glandular. Fruit orange or red, oblong or attenuately ovoid, 1-1.5 cm × 5-8(-10) mm, both ends obtuse. Seeds gray-white, ovate, 3-5 × 3-4 mm, base attenuate, margin obscure. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Jul-Oct.

Moist places in forests, roadsides, thickets; 500-1600 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam].