光叶荛花 guang ye rao hua

Daphne glabra (W. C. Cheng) Halda; D. glabra f. purpurea (W. C. Cheng) Halda; Wikstroemia glabra f. purpurea (W. C. Cheng) S. C. Huang; W. glabra var. purpurea W. C. Cheng.

Shrubs to 1.5 m tall. Bark ± cracked or creviced; branches green, turning black-purple in second year, angular, glabrous; leaf buds subglobose, small, tomentose. Leaves alternate; petiole ca. 2 mm, glabrous; leaf blade dull green adaxially, paler abaxially, ovate, elliptic, or oblong-elliptic, (1.5-)2-3.5 × 0.8-2 cm, membranous, abaxially pubescent, gradually glabrescent, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate to rounded or truncate, margin ± revolute, apex obtuse, acute, or shortly acuminate, sometimes retuse; lateral veins 5-10 pairs, sometimes purple, conspicuous abaxially. Inflorescences terminal, capitate, (1 or)2-5(-8)-flowered, peduncle 0.5-1.2 cm, glabrous. Calyx white or purple; tube 8-11 mm, exterior glabrous; lobes 4, ovate to orbicular, 4-5 × 4-5 mm, spreading to 1 cm in diam. overall, apex slightly acute. Stamens 8, lower whorl inserted at middle of calyx tube; anthers yellow, oblong-ovoid, 1-1.2 mm, included within calyx tube. Disk scales 1-3, linear, ca. 1/3 as long as ovary or slightly longer, apex 2-lobed or slightly retuse, rarely obtuse. Ovary ca. 3 mm, sessile, upper part pubescent; style short; stigma capitate. Drupe reddish, ovoid, ca. 8 mm. Fl. summer.

● Forests, sunny shrubby slopes; 900-1800 m. Anhui, Sichuan, Zhejiang.

Plants with purple flowers have been placed in Wikstroemia glabra var. purpurea but, in view of the overlapping distribution and lack of any other differentiating character, this is not followed here.