岳麓连蕊茶 Camellia handelii SealyCamellia handelii

Camellia handelii, Subgenus Metacamellia, Sect. Theopsis, Ser. Gymnandrae Chang, Acta Sci. Nat. Univ. Sunyatseni, monogr. ser. 1: 144. 1981. Chang Hung-ta and Bruce Bartholomew (1984). Camellias, p.172: Camellia handelii Sealy, Kew Bull. 1949(2):219. 1949. [Description] Branchlets velutinous. Leaves ovate-elliptic, 3-4 cm long. Sepals long-sericeous, stamens with a short filament tube. This species is close to C. forrestii only the pedicels are shorter, sepals ciliate, fila-ments free. [Distribution] Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou. [Synonym] Thea fraterna Hand. -Mazz., Symb. Sin. 7: 393. 1931, non Hance.

Gao Jiyin, Clifford R. Parks, Du Yueqiang, 2005, Collected Species of the Genus Camellia an Illustrated Outline，p.243. Flowers are white sometimes with a touch of red on the outermost petals, strongly fragrant, 2.4-3.5 cm in diameter, borne in multiples at the tips of shoots and in leaf axils; bud set usually heavy. Pedicels 2-4 mm long. Bracts 4-5, outer surface villous, inside glabrous. Sepals 5, some pubescence toward the tips on the outer surface, inside glabrous. Petals 5-6, 1.6-2.1 cm long, 1.1-1.6 cm wide, obovate, cleft at the tip from 0.5-2 mm, fused with the staminal column from the base approximately 2 mm. Androecium glabrous, 1.5-1.7 cm long, outer layer of stamens fused from the base into a cup up to 8 mm long, about 25 stamens. Gynoecium 1.1-1.5 cm long, 3 glabrous styles, fused except at the tip, ovary glabrous. Blooming season: late winter to spring. Capsules globose, 1.2 cm in diameter, pericarp wall about 1 mm in thickness. Leaves elliptic to broadly elliptic in shape, tip acute to acuminate, base cuneate to mostly rounded, 2.4-3.6 cm long, 1.3-1.9 cm wide, margin serrulate, thinly coriaceous, upper surface smooth with puberulent midvein, lower surface villous with raised midvein. Petiole 1-3 mm long, densely villous. Shrub up to 3 m tall, young shoots densely villous, older branches smooth and yellow-brown in color. Distribution: Under forests or along streams in the Provinces of Hunan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi; Elevation: 70-300 m; Specific locality: Yuelushan, Changsha City, Hunan Province, China.

岳麓连蕊茶Camellia handelii Sealy in Kew Bull. 1949, 219. 张宏达，1981. 《山茶属植物的系统研究》第144页。【标本】贵州：遵义，大桥，，钟补勤325。湖南：长沙，岳麓山，1963年11月，张宏达5016(原模式原产地)；洞口县，刘林翰、何观洲16602；岳麓山，李丙贵168；武岗，刘林翰、何观州16257； 15573，岳麓山，H.T.Chow 45336。江西：吉安，263组434。分布：湖南，江西，贵州。【形态特征】这个种嫩枝有茸毛，叶卵状椭圆形，长3-4厘米，萼片多长绢毛，雄蕊有花丝管；和蒙自连蕊茶C.forrestii 相似，后者花梗稍短，萼片只有睫毛，花丝离生。

高继银、帕克斯、杜跃强，2005. 《山茶属植物主要原种彩色图集》浙江科学技术出版社，第243页。花白色，有时外轮花瓣带红色，很芳香，花径2.4~3.5厘米，单花或多花顶生或腋生，花芽稠密。花柄长2~4毫米。苞片4~5枚，表面被短柔毛，里面无毛。萼片5枚，表面先端略被短柔毛，里面无毛。花瓣5~6枚，长1.6~2.1厘米，宽厘米，倒卵形，先端有。5~2毫米缺口，基部与雄蕊柱连生约2毫米。雄蕊无毛，长1.5~1.7厘米，外轮花丝基部连生，形成一个8毫米长短管，雄蕊约25枚。雌蕊长1.1~1.5厘米，花柱无毛，先端3裂，子房无毛。花期冬末至春季。蒴果球形，直径1.2厘米，果皮厚约1毫米。叶椭圆形至阔椭圆形，先端钝尖至渐尖，基部楔形或圆形，长2.4~3.6厘米，宽1.3~1.9厘米，边缘有齿，薄革质，叶面光滑，中脉被短柔毛，叶背被长柔毛，中脉凸起。叶柄长1~3毫米，密被长柔毛。灌木，高可达3米，嫩枝密被长柔毛，老枝光滑，黄褐色。分布：湖南、贵州、江西等省（通常在林下沟谷或溪边生长），海拔70-300米。可寻地点:湖南省长沙市岳麓山。