B. hemicardia

Culture

Endangered Status

Endangered (EN C1)

Original Botanical Description or Link to

Plant entirely glabrous, monoecious, perennial. Stem scandent 3–4 m long and 4–7 mm in diameter, internodes 6–8 cm long, rooting at the nodes. Stipules pale green, hyaline, lanceolate, 22–25 × 7–8 mm, glabrous, slightly keeled, margin entire, apex acuminate; persistent. Leaves alternate; petioles succulent, green becoming reddish green when mature, 20–40 × 1 mm; blade asymmetrical, obliquely, broad ovate, 4–8.5 × 2.5–7 cm, margin serrate or dentate and shallowly undulate; base obliquely cordate, apex attenuate; primary veins 6 or 7, grooved. Inflorescences: separate male and female inflorescences arise in the uppermost leaf axils or opposite a leaf; male inflorescence 8–9 cm long, cymose with c.5 × dichotomous branching, becoming rachis-like as lower flowers and pedicels dehisce; female inflorescence bearing 1 or 2 pairs of pistillate flowers on a 1.5–2.5 cm long peduncle. Staminate flower: bracteoles boat-shaped, 4–6 × 5–8 mm, pink, pedicel 6–8 mm long, tepals 2, orbicular, 7–10 × 8–12 mm, pink with white base; stamens 25–30, filaments 1 mm long shortly united at the base; anthers yellow, oblong 2 mm long. Pistillate flower: pedicel 10–14 mm long; tepals 5, pinkish white, margin entire, elliptic, 7–13 × 3–5 mm; ovary trigonous-ellipsoid, 8–10 × 6–8 mm (wings excluded), pink to brownish pink, 3-locular, placentation axile; 3-winged, wings equal, round, c.10 × 2–3 mm; styles 3, yellow, c.3 mm long; stigmas in a spiral band. Capsule obovoid to turbinate, brown 12–16 × 12–16 mm; pedicel 14–18 mm long; wings 3, equal, rounded 12–16 × 2–4 mm.