| English Name | South China Barthea |
|---|---|
| Status in China | Least Concern (LC) |
Description:
Evergreen shrubs, 70-150 cm high;branches more or less 4-angulate, puberulent when young. Leaves opposite, elliptic to suborbicular or ovate-lanceolate, (3.5-) 6-11 cm long and (1.8-)2.5-5.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, base cuneate, margin entire or serrulate, glabrous, furfuraceous on abaxial surface, 5-nerved; petiole 5-15 mm long. Flowers white or pink, in terminal cymes. Calyx campanulate; tube ca. 6 mm, 4-angulate, 4-lobed; lobes triangular, ca. 3 mm. Petals 4, elliptic or subobovate, 11-18 mm. Stamens 8, unequal (4 longer). Capsules oblong, ca. 1 cm long, apex truncate.
Distribution:
Victoria Peak, Tai Mo Shan, Ma On Shan, Wu Kau Tang, Lantau. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Taiwan.
Habitat and Ecology:
In ravines and on top of mountains. Flowering: Jan.-Apr.; fruiting: Oct.-Dec.
The species was first discovered in ravines on the top of Victoria Peak. As the only member of its genus and being endemic to China, the species is of important scientific interest. The attractive white and pink flowers would make the plant a potential ornamental species. In Hong Kong, most of the localities of its occurrence are in Country Parks under protection. Ex-situ conservation measures could be explored.
References:
陳介，1984：中國植物誌，53（1）：179，圖版38：9-11。科學出版社，北京。
Bentham, G., 1861: Flora Hongkongensis 115. Reeves, London.
