尖药花 jian yao hua

Aechmanthera tomentosa Nees in Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3: 87. 1832; A. gossypina (Wallich) Nees; A. tomentosa var. wallichii C. B. Clarke; A. wallichii Nees, nom. illeg. superfl.; A. wallichii var. gossypina (Wallich) Nees; A. wallichii var. tomentosa (Nees) Nees; Ruellia gossypina Wallich; Strobilanthes blinii H. Léveillé; S. bodinieri H. Léveillé; S. cavaleriei H. Léveillé.

Subshrubs to 1 m tall, erect, isophyllous. Stems usually gray tomentose but sometimes thinly pilose and greenish. Petiole 1-3 cm, with yellow multicellular gland-tipped trichomes; leaf blade elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, 3-13 × 2-6.5 cm, abaxially sericeous, adaxially densely covered with linear cystoliths, secondary veins 7-10 on each side of midvein, base subrounded, cuneate, or cordate and sometimes shortly decurrent onto petiole, margin crenate, apex acute. Inflorescences usually paniculate, to 30 cm, with 3-8-flowered clusters commonly on 3-8 cm axillary branches in axils of leaflike sterile bracts, clusters sometimes aggregated to form axillary thyrses or more distant and forming an open panicle; floral bracts linear-ligulate, 0.8-1.2 cm, abaxially and marginally gland-tipped pubescent, apex obtuse; bracteoles narrowly ligulate, ca. 5 mm, similar to and smaller than or equaling calyx lobes. Calyx 0.8-1.2 cm, deeply 5-lobed to base; lobes linear, unequal with 2 longer and 3 shorter, slightly gland-tipped pilose, apex obtuse. Corolla blue, funnel-shaped, 2.5-3.5 cm, straight, ventricose, outside glabrous, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and narrow for 4-8 mm then gradually widened to ca. 1 cm at mouth; lobes ca. 5 mm, subequal, apex obtuse. Stamens 4, included; shorter filament pair ca. 6 mm, glabrous; longer filament pair 1.1-1.2 cm, pilose; anther thecae oblong, apex mucronate; connective minutely excurrent; pollen type 6. Ovary comose; style sparsely hairy. Capsule oblong, 7-10 mm, pubescent, 6-8-seeded. Seeds discoid, densely hairy, sometimes glabrescent. Fl. Jun-Dec, fr. Aug-Dec. 2n = 30.

Grassy mountain slopes, open forests in relatively dry areas; 500-2300 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan].

This is a distinctive and apparently isolated species on account of the excurrent anther connective combined with the 6-8-seeded capsule and seeds with caducous trichomes.

Strobilanthes tomentosa was incorrectly reported as S. glutinosa Nees (Pseudaechmanthera glutinosa (Nees) Bremekamp) by Handel-Mazzetti (Symb. Sin. 7: 894. 1936).