Month: December 2013

Species: Nandina domestica English Name:  Sacred Bamboo Chinese Name: 南天竺 Family: Berberidaceae Description: Shrubs, evergreen, erect, to 3 m tall, glabrous, few branched. Branchlets reddish when young. Leaves 30-50 cm; leaflets nearly sessile; blades elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 2-10 × 0.5-2 cm, weakly leathery, glabrous, base cuneate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences erect, 20-35 cm. Flowers cream or white. Sepals ovate-triangular or…

Species: Cocculus orbiculatus    English Name:  Snail-seed Chinese Name: 木防己 Family: Menispermaceae Description: Woody vines. Young branches striate, puberulent to subglabrous. Petiole 1-3(-5) cm, whitish tomentose or pubescent; leaf blade variable in shape, linear-lanceolate to broadly ovate, narrowly elliptic to rotund, oblanceolate to obcordate, sometimes 3(-5)-lobed, 3-8(-10) cm, variable in width, papery to thinly leathery, both surfaces puberulent to…

Species: Nymphaea alba English Name:  Swedish Red Waterlily Chinese Name: 紅睡蓮 Family: Nymphaeaceae Description: Rhizomes repent, sparsely branched, but not stoloniferous. Leaf blade suborbicular, 10–25 cm in diam., papery, abaxially glabrous, scarcely peltate, base deeply cordate and basal lobes subparallel or spreading, margin entire. Flower floating, (7–) 10–20 cm in diam. Calyx insertion on receptacle circular; sepals lanceolate, 3–5(–8)…

Species: Nelumbo nucifera  English Name:  White Waterlily; Pygmy Waterlily Chinese Name: 白睡蓮 Family: Nymphaeaceae Description: Petiole 1–2 m, terete, fistulous, glabrous or papillae hard and scattered; leaf blade abaxially blue-green, orbicular, 25–90 cm in diam., papery, glabrous, glaucous, water-repellent, margin entire. Flowers 10–23 cm in diam.; peduncles longer than petioles, glabrous or sparsely spinulate. Tepals caducous, pink or…

Species: Artabotrys hexapetalus  English Name: Eagle’s Claw Chinese Name: 鷹爪花 Family: Annonaceae Description: Shrubs to 10 m tall, climbing. Branchlets glabrous or glabrescent. Petiole 4-8 mm; leaf blade oblong to broadly lanceolate, 6-16(-25) × 2.5-6(-8) cm, papery, abaxially glabrous or only midvein puberulent, adaxially glabrous, secondary veins 8-16 on each side of midvein and adaxially prominent, base cuneate to…

Species: Yulania x soulangeana English Name: Saucer Magnolia Chinese Name: 二喬木蘭 Family: Magnoliaceae Description: Deciduous small tree, 6-10 m tall; twigs glabrous.  STipular scars about 1/3 the length of petioles.  Petioles 1-1.5 cm , pubescent.  Leaves obovate, 6-15 x 4-7.5 cm, papery, base cuneate, gradually narrowed, apex short acute, adaxially remaining with hairs along midvein at base, abaxially +…

Species: Sarcandra glabra  English Name: Glabrous Sarcandra Chinese Name: 草珊瑚、雞爪蘭、九節茶、九節風 Family: Chloranthaceae Description: Subshrubs, evergreen, 50-150 cm tall. Stems cylindric, erect, glabrous, nodes swollen. Stipules subulate; petioles 0.5-2 cm; leaf blade elliptic or ovate to ovate-lanceolate, or broadly elliptic to oblong, 6-20 × 2-8 cm, leathery or papery, glandular mucronate on marginal teeth, glabrous, base acute, cuneate, or broadly…

Species: Persea americana  English Name: Avocado Chinese Name: 鱷梨、油梨、樟梨 Family: Lauraceae Description: Evergreen trees, ca. 10 m tall. Bark gray-green, longitudinally fissured. Leaves alternate; petiole 2-5 cm, slightly sulcate adaxially, sparsely pubescent; leaf blade usually somewhat glaucous abaxially, green adaxially, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, ovate, or obovate, 8-20 × 5-12 cm, leathery, sparsely yellowish brown pubescent adaxially but very densely…

Species: Houttuynia cordata English Name: Fishwort Chinese Name: 蕺菜、魚腥草、狗貼耳 Family: Saururaceae Description: Herbs (5-)30-60 cm high; rhizomes creeping, thin. Basal part of stems creeping, rooted in whorls at nodes, apical part erect, glabrous or pubescent on nodes, sometimes purplish red. Stipular sheath (0.5-)1-2.5 cm, 1/4-1/2 as long as petiole, usually ciliate, base enlarged and slightly clasping; petiole (0.7-) 1-3.5(-4)…

Species: Saururus chinensis  English Name:  Lizard’s Tail Chinese Name: 三白草、塘邊藕、白麵骨 Family: Saururaceae Description: Herbs to more than 1 m high; rhizomes creeping, white, thick. Stems strong, basal part creeping and usually whitish, apical part erect and green. Stipular sheath 2-10 mm, ca. as long as petiole, slightly clasping; petiole 1-3 cm, glabrous; leaf blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, (4-)10-20 ×…