樟叶巴戟 zhang ye ba ji

Lianas or subshrubs; branches at base with persistent leafless stipules, when young densely ferruginous hirtellous or -pilosulous, becoming glabrescent, angled, gray or indigo. Leaves opposite; petiole 5-10 mm, densely hirtellous; blade drying leathery, adaxially grayish black, abaxially whitened, narrowly elliptic-oblong, oblong-lanceolate, or obovate-oblanceolate, 8-11 × 2.5-3.5 cm, adaxially ± ferruginous pilosulous, abaxially hispidulous to hirtellous, base cuneate or rounded, apex acuminate or obtuse then abruptly mucronulate; secondary veins 4 or 5(or 6) pairs; stipules united into a tube. Inflorescence terminal; peduncles 6-10, umbellate or fasciculate, 5-10 mm, ferruginous pilosulous; heads 1 per peduncle, 5-7-flowered. Flowers fused at base, biology not noted. Calyx limb reduced, truncate or denticulate. Corolla white, outside glabrescent; tube ca. 2 mm, inside densely villous; lobes 4, linear-oblanceolate, ca. 3 mm. Drupecetum subglobose. Drupes fully fused. Fl. Jul, fr. winter.

● Thickets on slopes near villages. SE Guangxi.