Volume 5 > Part 3 > Year 1991 > Page 316 > Menispermaceae > Stephania

5. Stephania suberosa Formanwfo-0000505056

Kew Bull. 34: 563, _t. 2. 1979; 43: 380. 1988.

Accepted Name : This is currently accepted.

Description : Climber with very large tubers, growing above ground and often intercon-nected old woody stems, 1–2 cm or more diam., covered with a thick corky bark, young slender herbaceous stems drying striate, glabrous. Leaves broadly to very broadly ovate, base slightly cordate to truncate, apex very obtuse, 8–14 by 9–15 cm, minutely papillose on flower surface, and papillose-puberulous along the nerves and fine veins, upper surface sparsely papillose-puberulous, very thinly papyraceous; petioles puberulous to glabrescent, 5–17 cm. Male inflorescences axillary, subumbellate, 2–3 cm long, puberulous, the flowers in a subglobose cluster, 11–15 mm diam., the subumbels usually solitary, but sometimes 2–3 per axil, or racemosely arranged in a compound inflorescences. Male flowers on glabrous pedicels, 2–2.5 mm long; sepals greenish-yellow, glabrous or externally sparsely papillose, outer 3 oblanceolate, 2 mm long, inner 3 obovate to subelliptic, 2 mm long; petals 3, orange, glabrous, broadly rhomboid with lateral edges incurved, 1.25 mm long; synandrium slender, 1.25 mm long. Female inflorescences similar to male, flowering head 7–10 mm diam.; the subumbel solitary in leaf-axil, puberulous. Female flowers on pedicels, 1 mm long, asymmetrical, greenish; sepal 1, obovate, 1.5 mm long, glabrous or exter-nally papillose; petals 2, antisepalous, concave-rotund, 1 mm long, glabrous. Carpel 1, gibbous-ovoid, 1.5 mm long, glabrous; stigma divided into ca 5 short subulate lobes. Drupes glabrous, pericarp shining, drying close to endocarp; endocarp obovate in outline with a central perforation, 5–6 mm long, 5 mm broad, dorsally ornamented with 4 longitudinal rows of ca 17–19, short raised transverse ridges.

Thailand : SOUTH-WESTERN: Kanchanaburi (Wang Khanai – type: Kerr 12855 -BM K), Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin); CENTRAL: Saraburi (Khao Sisiat, Muak Lek).

Distribution : Endemic.

Ecology : Bamboo forests on rocky limestone hill, and evergreen scrub on rocky area, at ca 400 m alt.

Vernacular : Bua bok (บัวบก)(Central); boraphet phung Chang (บอระเพ็ดพุงช้าง)(Southwestern).