Aralia chinensis Linnaeus var. dasyphylloides Handel-Mazzetti; A. dasyphylloides (Handel-Mazzetti) J. Wen.

Shrubs or small trees, 1.5-10 m tall, andromonoecious. Branches with short, straight prickles less than 6 mm. Leaves 2-pinnately compound, with a pair of accessory leaflets at each division of rachis; petiole longer than 30 cm, densely yellow-brown tomentose, prickly or unarmed; petiolules 0-5 mm; leaflets 7-9 per pinna, ovate to broadly oblong, 5.5-15.5 × 3-10 cm, subleathery, abaxially densely tomentose, adaxially densely pubescent, secondary veins 7-14 pairs, prominent abaxially, subconspicuous adaxially, tertiary veins conspicuous, base rounded to subcordate, margin mucronate-serrulate, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of heads or dense umbels, unarmed; primary axis to ca. 60 cm; secondary axes 40-65 cm, densely yellow-brown tomentose; ultimate axes with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and 1 to several lateral umbels of male flowers; bracts persistent, oblong, ca. 3 mm; umbels 7-12-flowered; pedicels 0.5-2 cm or flowers sessile in heads. Ovary 5-carpellate; styles 5, free. Fruit globose to subglobose, 3-4 mm in diam.; styles persistent, radiating. Fl. Aug-Oct, fr. Oct-Dec.

This species is circumscribed broadly by the first author to include material from Java, Sumatra, and S Peninsular Malaysia, which comprises Aralia dasyphylla sensu stricto, along with gatherings from China, which Wen (Cathaya 15-16: 79-82. 2004) recognized as a distinct species, A. dasyphylloides , based on a suite of distinguishing features including leaflet color, shape, and cuticle features, the indument and bracts of the inflorescence, and fruit shape.

Forests, forest margins, along streams, roadsides and rocky slopes on hillsides and mountains; 100-1300(-1900) m. S Anhui (Qimen), Chongqing (Nanchuan, Wuxi), Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, C and SW Hubei (Dangyang, Jianshi), Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang (Tianmu Shan) [Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam].