Phyllagathis

Botanical Information

Botanical Classification

A plant of the family Bignoniaceae, known as "Jinxiangcao."

Morphological Characteristics

Herb, 10–15 cm tall. Stems erect or prostrate, rooting at each node, nearly fleshy, densely covered with long, coarse hairs, quadrangular, usually unbranched. Leaves opposite; petioles 1.5–9 cm long, densely covered with long, coarse hairs;leaf blades papery, broadly ovate, broadly elliptic, or round, apex broadly acute to nearly rounded, base cordate, 6–16 cm long, 4.5–14 cm wide, green on both surfaces or sometimes purplish-red on the underside; upper surface sparsely covered with rough, appressed, long, coarse hairs; lower surface bearing only the basal and lateral veins covered with spreading, long, coarse hairs;There are 7–9 basal veins; the veins on the upper surface are flat, while those on the lower surface are raised. The inflorescence is an umbel, terminal; the main peduncle is 4–17 cm long, covered with long, coarse hairs, rarely nearly glabrous; the bracts are obovate or nearly laterally lanceolate, covered with coarse hairs, usually only 4 in number, about 1 cm long or longer;Both the pedicel and calyx are covered with chaff; the calyx is funnel-shaped and four-angled, with broadly ovate lobes; the petals are pink to purple, slightly oblique at the upper part, and abruptly pointed at the apex; the stamens are 4, nearly equal in length, with anthers bearing small tubercles or no distinct tubercles at the base, and the connectives extending downward to form short spurs; the ovary is cup-shaped, with a crown at the apex.Capsule, with a 4-lobed crown at the apex, protruding beyond the persistent calyx; the persistent calyx bears 8 longitudinal ribs; the fruit stalk is elongated and covered with chaff. Flowering period: June–August; fruiting period: July–September.

Distribution Area

Distributed in Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and other areas.