Holboellia Wallich

Climbing or twining monoecious evergreen shrubs. Leaves trifoliolate or digitate with up to 9 leaflets, coriaceous. Inflorescences racemose, axillary, solitary or fasciculate, often in axils of fallen leaves. Flowers unisexual, bracteate, fragrant. Sepals 6, biseriate, oblong, elliptic or ovate, obtuse. Petals 6, reduced, orbicular, nectariform. Male flowers: Stamens 6, free; pistillodes rudimentary, minute or absent. Female flowers: Staminodes 6, minute; Carpels 3, oblong-ellipsoid, 1-locular with numerous ovules on parietal. placenta. Fruiting carpels 1 - 3, berries, glabrous. Seeds many, small, blackish, embedded in pulp.

E. Himalayas and China; 6 species, 2 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaflets 7 - 9, linear-lanceolate, with acuminate apices, becoming spinescent during maturity; petioles 1.5 - 4 cm long; racemes much longer than petiole; anthers sessile

1. Holboellia khasiana

b. Leaflets 3 - 5, ovate-oblong, with acute or short acuminate apices; petioles 4 - 8 cm long; racemes much shorter than petioles; anthers with distinct filament

2. Holboellia latifolia

List of Lower Taxa