Balanophora dioica R. Br. ex Royle

One of us (Murata) considers it doubtful that this Himalayan species actually occurs in China. Chinese specimens under this name are possibly misidentified.

This species is used medicinally.

Plants dioecious. Rhizome ochre yellow, brown, or reddish purple, unbranched or several together in a mass, surface with granular warts or scattered yellow stellate lenticels; branches subglobose, 0.5-2.5 cm in diam. Scapes purple to pink, cylindric, 2-10 cm. Leaves 3-10, distichous, rarely spirally arranged, imbricate, broadly ovate to ovate-oblong, 1.5-4 × 1.5-2.5 cm, apex obtuse to emarginate. Male inflorescences broadly ovoid to ellipsoid, 3-3.5 × 2.5-3 cm. Male flowers: very numerous, actinomorphic, each subtended by a single truncate bract. Pedicel 4-9 mm. Perianth lobes 4 or 5, ovate, ca. 2 mm, reflexed. Synandria hemispheroidal, 0.5-1 × 1-1.5 mm; anthers 4 or 5, 2-celled, U-shaped, longitudinally dehiscent. Female inflorescences ellipsoid to narrowly ovoid, 2-5 cm. Spadicles ca. 1 mm, subclavate, apical 1/3 subglobose, apex truncate and papillate; cuticular ridges of apical cells longitudinally slender and congested. Female flowers: on basal stipe of spadicles and main axis of inflorescence. Fl. Aug-Oct.

C-E Nepal: Bhutan, China, NE India, Myanmar, Sikkim.

Hunan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim].

400-2600 m

Herbs

Dense forests; 1100-2600 m.