瑞丽叉花草 rui li cha hua cao

Diflugossa scoriarum (W. W. Smith) E. Hossain; D. shweliensis (W. W. Smith) E. Hossain; Goldfussia scoriarum (W. W. Smith) Bremekamp; Strobilanthes aborensis Dunn; S. scoriarum W. W. Smith; S. shweliensis W. W. Smith.

Herbs 1-1.5 m tall, anisophyllous. Stems 4-angled, erect, sulcate, glabrous to gland-tipped pilose. Petiole 0-2 cm with apical leaves sessile, subglabrous; leaf blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 10-15 × 4-7 cm, glabrous except for a few cilia in teeth sinus, secondary veins 5-10 on each side of midvein, base broadly cuneate on basal leaves and rounded on apical leaves, margin serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, panicles of spikes, narrowly ovoid, to 30 cm; peduncle and rachis glabrous when young, densely gland-tipped pilose at maturity; sterile bracts leaflike, lanceolate to ovate, 5-15 × 3-8 mm, tardily caducous, apex acuminate; floral bracts elliptic, 5-6 × 2-3 mm, caducous, apex obtuse; bracteoles oblong, ca. 3 × 1 mm, caducous, abaxially glabrous. Flowers in opposite pairs or solitary through abortion. Calyx 0.8-1.2 cm, subglabrous with sessile glands when young but becoming densely gland-tipped pilose and accrescent, 5-lobed almost to base; lobes lanceolate, with 3 lobes slightly longer than other 2, apex acuminate. Corolla purple, 2.5-3 cm, straight, ventricose, outside glabrous, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 2 mm wide for 1-1.3 cm then widened to ca. 1 cm at mouth; lobes orbicular, ca. 5 mm in diam. Stamens 4, included; filaments glabrous, shorter pair ca. 3 mm, longer pair ca. 6 mm; anther thecae obliquely ellipsoid, ca. 0.8 × 1 mm, incurved; pollen type 3. Ovary slightly pilose at tip; style ca. 2.1 cm, slender, sparsely pilose on basal part. Capsule clavate, ca. 1.5 cm, apically gland-tipped pilose, 4-seeded. Seeds brown, ovate in outline, ca. 2.5 × 2 mm; areola small, verrucose. Fl. Sep-Jan.

Forests on mountain slopes; ca. 1500 m. Xizang (Mêdog), Yunnan [India].

Strobilanthes mastersii, like S. hamiltoniana, commonly has a glabrous inflorescence when it is young but becomes gland-tipped pilose as it matures.