Month: February 2015

Species: Peperomia pellucida  English Name:  Clearweed Chinese Name: 草胡椒 Family: Piperaceae Description: Herbs annual, fleshy, 20-40 cm high, all parts glabrous. Stems erect or ascending, branched, glabrous. Petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate or ovate-triangular, length ± equal to width, 1-3.5 cm, membranous, both surfaces glabrous, translucent, base cordate, apex acute or obtuse; veins 5-7. Spikes terminal or…

Species: Laurus nobilis English Name: Grecian Laurel Chinese Name: 月桂 Family: Lauraceae Description: Evergreen shrublike or small trees, up to 12 m tall, dioecious. Bark blackish brown. Branchlets terete, striate, puberulent on young part or wholly subglabrous. Leaves alternate; petiole purple-red when fresh, 0.7-1 cm, sparsely puberulent or subglabrous, sulcate adaxially; leaf blade greenish abaxially, dark green adaxially, oblong…

Species: Cinnamomum burmannii  English Name: Batavia Cinnamom Chinese Name: 陰香 Family: Lauraceae Description: Trees, up to 14 m tall, to 30 cm d.b.h. Bark smooth, gray-brown to dark brown outside, red inside, cassia-scented. Branchlets green or brown-green, slender, striate, glabrous. Leaves alternate or subopposite, rarely opposite; petiole 0.5-1.2 cm, plano-convex, subglabrous; leaf blade glaucous green and opaque abaxially, green…

Species: Michelia maudiae English Name: Maudia Michelia Chinese Name: 深山含笑 Family: Magnoliaceae Description: Tree, up to 20 m tall, glabrous. Buds, young twigs, abaxial surfaces of leaves, bracts white farinose. Petioles 1-3 cm, without stipular scars. Leaves oblong-elliptic, rarely elliptic-oblong, 7-18x 3.5-8.5 cm, leathery, base cuneate, broadly cuneate or obtuse, apex abruptly short-acuminate, tip blunt, adaxially deep green and glossy, abaxially grayish green…

Species: Michelia alba English Name: White Jade Orchid Tree Chinese Name: 白蘭丶白玉蘭 Family: Magnoliaceae Description: Evergreen tree, up to 17m tall; bark grey; young twigs and buds densely covered with pale yellowish white hairs. Stipular scars nearly reached middle of petioles. Petioles 1.5 -2 cm, sparsely puberulous. Leaves long-elliptic or lanceolate-elliptic, 10-27 x 4-9.5 cm. thinly leathery, base cuneate,…

Species: Michelia figo  English Name: Banana Shrub Chinese Name: 含笑 Family: Magnoliaceae Description: Evergreen shrub, 2-3 m tall much branched; buds, young twigs. petioles and pedunclcs densely yellowish brown-tomemose.  Stipular scars reached peliolc apex. Petiolcs 2-4 mm. Leaves narrowly elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 4- l0 x 1.8-4.5 cm, base cuneate or broadly cuneate, apex obtusely acute, adaxially glossy und glabrous. ubaxially…

Species: Cassytha filiformis English Name: Cassytha Chinese Name: 無根藤 Family: Lauraceae Description: Stem green-brown, filiform, slightly woody, rusty pubescent when young but sparsely pubescent or glabrous when mature. Leaves reduced to minute scales. Spike ca. 2.5 cm, densely rusty pubescent; bracts and bracteoles brown, minute, broadly ovate, ca. 1 mm, ciliate. Flowers white, small, less than 2 mm, sessile.…

Species: Peperomia obtusifolia  English Name:  Pepper Face; Baby Rubber Plant Chinese Name: 鈍葉豆瓣綠 Family: Piperaceae Description:   Photos used under a Creative Commons license