Rhynchotechum ellipticum - Elliptic Rhynchotechum

Elliptic Rhynchotechum is an erect undershrub, 3-5 ft tall with a thickened stem, basally becoming hairless, apically densely rust-brown to brown woolly. Flowers are borne in 15-70-flowered cymes carried on flower-cluster-stalk 0.9-4 cm, densely rust-brown to brown woolly to velvet-hairy, bracts 3-13 mm. Flower-stalks are 2-13 mm, sepals lanceshaped, 2.2-5 mm, outside brown woolly to velvet-hairy, inside hairless. Flowers are white or tinged pink, 3.5-6 mm; tube 1.5-2.5 mm; upper lip 1.6-1.8 mm; lower lip 2.2-4 mm. Stamens are adnate to flower near base, 0.5-1.1 mm. Pistil 5-7 mm, hairless; ovary 1-2 mm. Leaves are opposite; leaf-stalk 0.8-5 cm, rust-brown to brown woolly; leaf blade inverted-lanceshaped to obovate or elliptic, 9.5-32 x 3-10 cm, above rust-brown to brown woolly, becoming hairless, below densely woolly to reddish-yellow velvet-hairy, becoming hairless, base wedge-shaped to narrowed, rarely nearly rounded, margin finely toothed to sawtoothed, tip pointed to tapering. Berry is white, 2-6 mm, hairless. Elliptic Rhynchotechum is found in forests, shaded streamsides, at altitudes of 100-1800 m, in the Himalayas, from Nepal to NE India, SE Asia and China. Flowering: June-October.