Micromeles epidendron (Hand.-Mazz.) Kovanda & Challice

Shrubs or trees, to 15 m tall. Branchlets, blackish brown, terete, initially densely rusty brown tomentose, glabrous when old, with sparse, inconspicuous elliptic lenticels; buds ovoid, 5–7 mm, apex acute or ± obtuse; scales several, dark reddish brown, glabrous. Leaves simple; petiole 5–10 mm, densely rusty brown tomentose; leaf blade narrowly elliptic or elliptic-ovate to elliptic-obovate, 7–12(–15) × 3.5–6(–7) cm, lateral veins 12–15 pairs, nearly parallel, terminating in marginal teeth, abaxially densely persistent rust-brown tomentose, adaxially sparsely puberulous, base cuneate, margin minutely serrate except for basal part, apex shortly acuminate or acute. Compound corymbs terminal, 6–9 × 5–10 cm, many flowered; rachis and pedicels densely rust-brown tomentose. Pedicel 4–7 mm. Flowers 8–10 mm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, 3–4 mm, abaxially rust-brown tomentose. Sepals triangular-ovate, 1.5–2 mm, apex acute. Petals ovate, 3–4 mm and ca. as broad, adaxially sparsely puberulous, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens 15–20, nearly as long as or slightly shorter than petals. Styles 2 or 3, somewhat not exceeding stamens, glabrous, connate at base. Fruit globose or ovoid-globose, 5–8 mm in diam., 2- or 3-loculed, with few minute orbicular lenticels, with an annular scar. Fl. May, fr. Aug–Sep.

Guizhou, W Yunnan [N Myanmar, N Vietnam].

Sparse woods at river sides, shrub thickets in mountain valleys; 2300--3000 m.

Aria detergibilis (Merrill) H. Ohashi & H. Iketani; A. epidendron (Handel-Mazzetti) H. Ohashi & H. Iketani; Micromeles epidendron (Handel-Mazzetti) Kovanda & Challice; Sorbus detergibilis Merrill.