椭圆叶木莲 tuo yuan ye mu lian

Trees, to 20 m tall, to 40 cm d.b.h. Bark blackish brown. Vegetative buds, petioles, leaf blade abaxial surfaces, flower buds, and peduncles golden yellow appressed pubescent. Twigs pale green when young, brown when old. Stipular scar ca. 6 mm. Petiole 2-2.5 cm; leaf blade obovate-elliptic, 13-20 × 3.5-4.5 cm, leathery, secondary veins 12-15 on each side of midvein, base cuneate, apex acuminate. Tepals 9, outer 3 pale green and thinner, inner 6 white and fleshy, transversely wavy striate; tepals of middle whorl 3, ovate, 4.5-5.5 × 2.5-3.5 cm; innermost 3 tepals long ovate, 4-5 × 2-3 cm. Stamens numerous, red, 6-7 mm; connective exserted and forming a triangular mucro; anthers 5-6 mm. Gynoecium ovoid; carpels 14 or 15, long ovoid, ca. 7 mm, brownish pubescent; styles white. Fruit not seen. Fl. Apr-May.

● Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 800-1200 m. Guangxi (Lingui, Xing’an).