四苞马蓝 si bao ma lan

Tetragoga cruciata Bremekamp, Verh. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch., Afd. Natuurk., Sect. 2, 41(1): 300. 1944; T. nagaensis Bremekamp.

Subshrubs 1-2 m tall, anisophyllous. Stems 4-angled, sulcate, rust-colored hirsute or glabrous. Petiole 1-1.5 cm, pubescent; leaf blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 4-13 × 1.5-5.5 cm, smaller of pair ca. 1/3 size of larger one, abaxially pale white tomentose especially along midvein, adaxially sparsely tomentose and brownish green when dry, secondary veins 7-9 on each side of midvein, base cuneate, margin serrate and ciliate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, subcapitate; peduncle 0-2.5 cm, gland-tipped pilose; outer bracts leaflike, petiolar base forming a rigid involucre around capitulum, 1-2 × 0.5-1 cm, outside densely brownish gland-tipped pilose to subglabrous, inside glabrous, apical laminar portion ovate, 2-4 × 2-3 cm, and erect; inner bracts linear-pandurate, 12-16 × 3-5 mm, abaxially pilose and apically gland-tipped pubescent, adaxially glabrous, margin entire, apex acute; bracteoles narrowly linear, ca. 13 × 1 mm. Calyx ca. 1.1 cm, outside pilose except glabrous toward base, inside apically silky villous, margin apically ciliate. Corolla white, ca. 2.5 cm, curved, outside glabrous, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 3 mm wide for ca. 1 mm then ventricose and gradually widened to ca. 1.2 cm at mouth; lobes ovate, ca. 4 × 4 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens 4, included; shorter filament pair ca. 3 mm, glabrous; longer filament pair ca. 6 mm, hirsute; anther thecae oblong, ca. 3 × 1 mm, erect, apiculate; connective shortly excurrent; pollen type 1. Ovary oblong, glabrous; style ca. 2.2 cm, gland-tipped pilose. Capsule fusiform, ca. 1.5 cm, glabrous, 4-seeded. Seeds brown, ovate in outline, ca. 4 × 3 mm, densely appressed pubescent; areola small. Fl. Dec-Jul.

Dense moist mixed forests; 800-1500 m. Hainan, Xizang (Mêdog), Yunnan [India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand].

Strobilanthes cruciata is a very distinct species with unique inflorescence structure and unusual pollen combined with the calyx sericeous inside.