Tetracentron sinense Oliver in Hook., Ic. Pl. 19: t. 1892. 1889. T. sinense Oliver var. himalense Hara & Kanai in J. Jap. Bot. 39: 195. 1964; Nayar & Ramam. in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 15: 232. 1976.

Small trees, 15 - 25 m high, much-branched above; young branches lenticellate, purpurescent; short shoots up to 3 cm long; outer bud scales oblong-elliptic, obtuse or acute at apex, entire, 10 - 13 x 4 - 5 mm, scarious along margins; inner bud scales mucronate at apex, 13 - 15 x 3 - 5 mm; stipular flanges papyraceous or scarious, linear, subacute at apex, 5 - 15 mm long. Leaves ovate or elliptic-ovate, deeply shallowly cordate with rounded sinus or often truncate or shortly acuminate at apex, 5 - 15 x 4 - 10 cm, glabrous, chartaceous or papyraceous, deep green above, light green beneath; veins 5 - 7, spreading from base; petioles 1.5 - 3.5 cm long. Spikes 9 - 18 cm long, slender, pendant; peduncles 8 - 15 mm long. Flowers sessile, ca 3 mm across, green; bracts minute, obtuse, ca 0.5 mm long. Sepals broadly ovate, deltoid or suborbicular, 1 - 1.5 mm across, green. Stamens 2 - 3 mm long; styles ca 1 mm long; ovules slightly compressed. Follicles oblong, depressed at apex, 3 - 4.5 mm long. Seeds 2 - 3.5 mm long including wings.

Fl. & Fr. April - June.

Distrib. India: Eastern Himalayas in broad-leaved forests, 2200 - 3300 m. Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh.

Nepal, N. Myanmar and S. W. China.

RELATED IMAGES