Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Diffuse vines.

Stems: Stems many-branched, densely hispid and glandular–dotted.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades narrowly deltate in outline, 1.8–3.5 cm long, 0.6–1.5 cm wide. Apex acute to obtuse. Upper surfaces sparsely hispid; lower surfaces glandular–dotted and sparsely to moderately hispid, especially along veins; blades thin. Margins deeply pinnately divided, often completely to midrib, each division usually toothed or lobed. Petioles 0.3–1.5 cm long, hispid and glandular–dotted. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 6(8) per verticillaster, in unbranched, terminal, racemose inflorescences ca. 10–15 cm long, pedicels 6–9 mm long, hispid (some hairs gland–tipped), bracts ca. 6–25 mm long, lowermost pair largest and pinnately divided, the upper ones merely lobed or dentate. Calyx narrowly campanulate, ca. 3 mm long, enlarging in fruit, nerves not prominent, moderately to densely glandular–dotted and sparsely hispid, usually 5-toothed, the teeth oblong to oblong–oblanceolate, ca. 1.2–1.6 mm long, apex obtuse to rounded, splitting longitudinally, usually persistent or sometimes only ventral 1/2 persistent. Corolla bilabiate, white, tube ca. 5–6 mm long, narrowly funnelform, villous and glandular–dotted, upper lip shorter than lower one, entire or 2-lobed, flat or concave, lower lip ca. 2 mm long, 3-lobed, lateral lobes ovate, slightly asymmetrical, lower lobe broadly ovate to suborbicular, slightly folded to form a groove, margins somewhat undulate, apex emarginate or entire; nectary disk often present at base of ovary, annular or developed on anterior side only. Stamens 4, both pairs of similar length or upper pair slightly longer, ascending the upper corolla lip, included, aligned with the sinuses; filaments inserted near throat, usually pubescent; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; anther sacs divaricate. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, placentation basal-axile; ovules 1 per ovary lobe; style 1, included, arising between lobes, shortly 2-lobed, the lobes clavate; stigmatic only at apex, 1 lobe often rudimentary; stigmas 2.

Fruit: Nutlets ca. 2–2.5 mm long; glandular–dotted at least in upper ½; 1-seeded; dark green to black; drupaceous; exocarp fleshy; obovoid; margins slightly winged; obliquely attached at the connate base; spreading and exserted from calyx at maturity. Seeds with endosperm absent or scanty and oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: 1,220–1,525 m.