Henslowia varians Blume, Mus. Bot. 1: 244. 1851; Dendrotrophe frutescens (Champion ex Bentham) Danser; D. frutescens var. subquinquenervia P. C. Tam; D. punctata C. Y. Wu & D. D. Tao; Henslowia frutescens Champion ex Bentham; H. frutescens var. subquinquenervia P. C. Tam; H. sessiliflora Hemsley.

Woody vines, usually shrubby, 1-8 m tall. Stems darkish black, yellowish green when young, 3-ribbed, twisted, ± smooth, sometimes reddish brown punctate. Petiole flat, 5-10 mm; leaf blade obovate to broadly elliptic, 3-7 × (1.4-)2-4.5 cm, thick, ± leathery, basal veins 3-5, prominent when dry, base narrowed and decurrent to form petiole, less often rounded, apex obtuse. Male inflorescences umbellate or cymose, 5- or 6-flowered; peduncle to 20 mm; bracteoles 7 or 8, ovate-triangular. Female inflorescences usually of solitary flowers; peduncle 3-4 mm. Flowers usually unisexual (plants usually dioecious). Male flowers globose, ca. 2 mm; pedicel ca. 1.5 mm; bracteoles triangular-ovate, ca. 1 mm; perianth lobes triangular, ca. 1.5 mm; stamen filaments ca. 0.5 mm, with a tuft of hair behind each, cells rounded. Disk 5-lobed to annular. Female flowers: bracteoles 3-5; perianth short terete, 2-3 mm, lobes 5, ovate-triangular, ca. 1 × 1 mm; staminodes present. Style short, stigma not lobed, needle-like. Bisexual flowers ovoid. Drupe reddish, brownish yellow to reddish brown when mature, ovoid, 10-13 mm, inconspicuously 5-ribbed; persistent perianth lobes incurved. Fl. Jan-Mar, fr. Jun-Aug.

Dendrotrophe punctata was described from material with densely punctate stems and leaves, but such gland dots occur sporadically in collections from at least both China and Thailand, and there is no clear division between D. punctata and the very widespread and variable D. varians. There are additional probable synonyms based on collections from Indonesia and the Philippines.

The plants are used medicinally.

Thickets, usually climbing on trees; 100-300 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].