Samuel Yang

on May 19, 2018 at 08:18 am

Stellera chamaejasme

Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Angiosperms

(unranked): Eudicots

(unranked): core eudicots

Order: Malvales

Family: Thymelaeaceae

Genus: Stellera

Species: S. chamaejasme

Binomial name: Stellera chamaejasme

Synonym:

Common name:

Description:

Herbs perennial, 20-50 cm tall. Rhizome woody, terete, stout, branched or not. Stems many, clustered, erect, unbranched, base woody, sometimes brown scaly, upper part herbaceous, green or sometimes purple, glabrous. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite or whorled; petiole short, ca. 1.1 mm, articulate at base; leaf blade pale or grayish green abaxially, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, rarely oblong, 1.2-2.8 cm long, 0.3-1 cm wide, thinly papery, both surfaces glabrous, base rounded to cuneate, margin slightly revolute or not, apex acuminate or acute, rarely obtuse; lateral veins 4-6 pairs, visible on both surfaces. Inflorescences terminal, capitate, globose, many flowered, with involucre of green leaflike bracts. Flowers fragrant; pedicel absent. Calyx white, yellow, or reddish purple; tube cylindric, 9-11 mm, slender, conspicuously ribbed, slightly swollen at base, exterior glabrous; lobes 5, ovate-oblong, 2-4 x ca. 2 mm, apex rounded or rarely truncate, usually with red, reticulate veins. Stamens 10, lower whorl inserted above middle of calyx tube, upper whorl in throat; filaments very short; anthers yellow, linear-ellipsoid, ca. 1.5 mm; upper ones slightly exserted from calyx tube. Disk developed on one side, linear, ca. 1.8 x 0.2 mm, apex slightly 2-lobed. Ovary ellipsoid, ca. 2 x 1.2 mm, sessile, yellow silky-pubescent distally; style short; stigma capitate, apex sparsely yellow pubescent. Drupe conic, ca. 5 x 2 mm, grayish white pubescent at apex or upper part, enclosed in persistent calyx.