Dartus perlarius Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 1: 124. 1790; Maesa sinensis A. de Candolle; M. tonkinensis Mez.

Shrubs 1-3 m tall. Branchlets hirtellous and glandular granulose, sometimes glabrous; pith solid. Petiole canaliculate, ca. 10 mm; leaf blade elliptic to broadly ovate, 7-11 (-12) × 3-5(-6) cm, densely hirtellous when young, base acute, margin coarsely serrate distally and entire toward base, apex acute or acuminate; lateral veins 7-9 on each side of midrib, ending in teeth, submarginal vein absent. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate or rarely racemose, 2-4 cm, hirtellous and glandular granulose; bracts lanceolate or subulate, less than 2 mm; bracteoles lanceolate or subovate. Flowers ca. 2 mm. Pedicel 1.8-2 mm. Calyx discoid; lobes broadly ovate, punctate-lineate, hirsute or glabrous, margin entire, ciliate, apex obtuse or acute. Corolla ca. 2 × as long as calyx lobes, punctate-lineate, glabrous; lobes broadly ovate, as long as tube, irregularly crenulate. Stamens inserted at distal half of corolla tube; anthers broadly oblong or reniform, not glandular, shorter than filaments. Pistil included. Style thick, cylindric; stigma 4-lobed. Fruit globose, ca. 3 mm in diam., punctate-lineate, glabrous, 1/4-1/3 exposed; persistent calyx lobes rarely meet at fruit apex. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Dec-May.

Sparse broad-leaved forests, shrubby areas, hillsides, damp places; 200-1400 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Thailand, Vietnam]