大萼连蕊茶 Camellia macrosepala Hung T.ChangCamellia macrosepala

Camellia macrosepala, Subgenus Metacamellia, Sect. Theopsis, Ser. Cuspidatae Chang, Acta Sci. Nat. Univ. Sunyatseni, monogr. ser. 1: 133. 1981. Chang Hung-ta and Bruce Bartholomew (1984). Camellias, p.162: Camellia macrosepala Chang, Acta Sci. Nat. Univ. Sunyatseni, monogr. ser. 1: 133. 1981. [Description] Shrub or small tree, branchlets glabrous, terminal buds pubescent. Leavescoriaceous, elliptic, 7-9. 5 cm long, 2.5-3. 6cm wide, apices caudate-acuminate with a 1.5-2 cm long cauda, bases obtuse or subrounded; olive-green above in the dry state, shiny; same color below, glabrous; lateral veins 7-9 pairs, obscure on both surfaces; marginsserrate; petioles 4-6 mm long, pubescent above. Flowers axillary; pedicels 1. 5 cm long, glabrous, extremely robust; bracts 4-5, long-ovate, to 5 mm long; sepals 5, ovate, 1 cmlong, glabrous, basal 2. 5 mm connate, apices acute; petals 7, glabrous, obovate, notopen, bases connate; stamens glabrous, outer stamens basally adnate with petals, others free; ovaries glabrous, 3-locular; styles apically 3-cleft. This species is very close to C. cuspidata only the leaves are larger, flowers larger, sepals 1 cm long, pedicels 2. 5 cm long and extremely robust.

Gao Jiyin, Clifford R. Parks, Du Yueqiang, 2005, Collected Species of the Genus Camellia an Illustrated Outline，p.251. Flowers are white, fragrant, 2.0-3.0 cm in diameter, mostly borne in leaf axils. Pedicels 1.3-1.5 cm long, stout. Bracts 4-5. Sepals 5, glabrous. Petals 6-7, obovate, tip rounded, united at the base with the staminal column. Androecium glabrous, filaments fused at the base into a short column. Gynoecium glabrous, 3 styles, cleft at the tip. Blooming season: late winter to early spring. Capsule globose, 1-3 locules, 1 seed per locule. Leaves elliptic, tip caudate-acuminate, base suborbicular, 6.0-9.0 cm long, 2.0-3.0 cm wide, margin serrulate, upper and lower surface smooth. Petioles 4-6 mm long, pubescent on upper side. Shrub or small tree up to 3 m tall, young shoots glabrous, young leaves red, older branches smooth, yellow-brown in color. Distribution: Under forest canopy in ravines or along streams in northern Guangdong Province; Elevation: 700-1,000 m; Specific locality: Ruyuan County, Guangdong Province, China.

大萼连蕊茶Camellia macrosepala Chang, sp. nov. 张宏达，1981. 《山茶属植物的系统研究》第133页。【标本】广东：北江，陈焕镛5935 (模式标本Typus! in Bot. Inst. Austro-Sin.)。和尖连蕊茶C.cuspidata很接近，只是叶较大，花大，萼片长1厘米，花梗长1.5 厘米，极粗大。【形态特征】灌木或小乔木，嫩枝无毛，顶芽有柔毛。叶革质，椭圆形，长7-9.5厘米，宽2.5-3.6厘米，先端尾状长尖，尾长1.5-2厘米，基部钝，或近圆形，上面干后橄榄绿色，发亮，下面同色，无毛，侧脉7-9对，在上下两面均不明显，边缘有锯齿，叶柄长4-6毫米，上面有短毛。花腋生，花梗长1.5厘米，无毛，极粗大，苞片4-5片，长卵形，最长的5毫米；萼片5片，卵形，长1厘米，无毛，基部2.5毫米相连生，先端尖；花瓣7片，无毛，倒卵形，未开放，基部连生；雄蕊无毛，基部除了与花瓣合生外，其余离生；子房无毛，3室，花柱先端3裂。

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251页。花白色，芳香，花径2.0~3.0厘米，多腋生。花柄长1.3~1.5厘米，粗大。苞片4~5枚。萼片5枚，无毛。花瓣6~7枚，倒卵形，先端圆，基部与雄蕊柱连生。雄蕊无毛，基部与花瓣连生。雌蕊无毛，花柱先端3裂。花期冬末至春初。蒴果球形，1~3室，每室1粒种子。叶椭圆形，先端尾状渐尖，基部近圆形，长6.0~9.0厘米，宽2.0~3.0厘米，边缘有齿，叶片两面光滑。叶柄长4~6毫米，表面被柔毛。灌木或小乔木，高可达3米，嫩枝无毛，嫩叶略带淡红色，老枝光滑，黄褐色。分布：广东省北部（通常在林下沟谷或溪边生长），海 拔700-1000米。可寻地点:广东省乳源县。