羽裂马蓝 yu lie ma lan

Pteracanthus pinnatifidus (C. Z. Zheng) C. Y. Wu & C. C. Hu.

Herbs to 40 cm tall, unbranched, isophyllous. Stems erect, brown hirsute. Petiole 1.5-2 cm, hirsute; leaf blade elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 3-13 × 1-5 cm, whitish appressed hirsute, secondary veins 6 or 7 on each side of midvein, base cuneate to attenuate and often decurrent onto petiole, margin coarsely dentate to deeply pinnatifid or lobed, apex acuminate to caudate. Inflorescences terminal, spikes, 5-9 cm; bracts spatulate-obovate, to 1.2 cm, pubescent; bracteoles linear, 1-1.5 cm, pubescent. Flowers distant on rachis. Calyx 1-1.5 cm, pubescent with gland-tipped trichomes, 5-lobed almost to base; lobes linear, equal. Corolla purplish blue, ca. 3.5 cm, ventricose, outside pubescent, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 3 mm wide for ca. 1.2 mm then gradually widened to ca. 1 cm at mouth; lobes oblong, ca. 4 × 3.5 mm, apex emarginate to obtuse. Stamens 4, included; filaments pilose, shorter pair ca. 4 mm, longer pair ca. 6 mm; anther thecae oblong, ca. 2 mm. Ovary oblong, glabrous; style ca. 3 mm, sparsely hirsute. Capsule oblong, sparsely pubescent, 4-seeded. Seeds ovate in outline, ca. 2.5 × 2 mm, pubescent; areola small. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Nov.

● Forests in moist areas; 600-700 m. Zhejiang (Jingning, Qingyuan).

Strobilanthes pinnatifida is unique because of its pinnatifid or lobed leaves.