《中国植物志》|| 茜草科 RUBIACEAE ||茜草属 Rubia Linn. ||金线草 Rubia membranacea Diels

33. 金线草（云南种子植物名录）小茜草（四川南川）图版62: 7-12
Rubia membranacea Diels in Not. Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 5: 279. 1912; 云南种子植物名录, 下册: 1271. 1984.
草质攀援藤本，长0.3-2米，通常1米左右。茎、枝均有4棱，茎通常粗糙或覆倒生短皮刺，枝近平滑或节上有短硬毛。叶4片轮生，叶片膜状纸质或薄纸质，披针形或有时近卵形，通常长1-6厘米，宽0.5-2厘米，有时长可达8厘米，宽达4厘米，顶端渐尖或短渐尖，基部钝圆至明显心形，边缘通常生有极小的皮刺；基出脉3-5条，正中的一条在上面明显，在下面阔而平扁，两侧2或4条，两面均不很明显或在下面稍明显；叶柄长0.5-2.5厘米，有时可达4厘米或更长。聚伞花序有花3朵或排成长2-3厘米的圆锥花序式，腋生和顶生；苞片狭披针形，长5-5.5毫米，顶端尾状渐尖；萼管浅2裂，宽约1.8毫米，干时黑色；花冠紫红色，辐状，冠管长0.2-0.6毫米或稍过之，冠檐直径7-9毫米，裂片5，伸展，不反折，卵形或披针形，盛开时长达4毫米，通常3-3.5毫米，顶端尾尖，边缘背卷，有3脉，上面密覆微小乳头状或鳞片状毛；雄蕊5，生冠管近基部，花丝粗壮，长0.25-0.35毫米，花药与花丝近等长或稍短；花柱2裂至基部，长约3毫米，柱头头状。浆果近球形，径约5-6毫米，有时2个并生，宽约9毫米，成熟时深蓝色或黑色。花期5-6月，果期8-10月。
我国特有，产湖北西南部、湖南西北部和西部、四川大部分地区和云南。生于疏林、林缘、灌丛或草地上，海拔1100-3000米。

《云南植物志》|| 茜草科 Rubiaceae ||茜草属 Rubia Linn. ||金线草 Rubia membranacea Diels

17.金线草（云南种子植物名录）图版67: 12—16
膜叶茜草（西藏植物志）
Rubia membranacea Diels (1912): 云南种子植物名录 (1984); 西藏植物志 (1985); 横断山区维管植物 (1994); 中国植物志 (1999)*.
草质攀援藤本，长0.3—2米。茎、枝有4棱，茎粗糙或有倒生短皮刺，枝近平滑或节上有短硬毛。叶4片轮生，膜状纸质或薄纸质，披针形或近卵形，长1—8厘米，宽0.5—4厘米，先端渐尖，基部钝圆或心形，边缘有小皮刺，基出脉3—5条；叶柄长0.5—4厘米。聚伞花序有花3朵，或排成长2—3厘米的圆锥花序式，腋生和顶生；苞片狭披针形，长5—5.5毫米，先端尾状渐尖；萼管浅2裂，宽约1.8毫米，干时黑色；花冠紫红色，辐状，冠管长0.2—0.6毫米，冠檐直径7—9毫米，花冠裂片5，不反折，卵形或披针形，长达4毫米，先端尾尖，边缘背卷，有3脉，内面密被小乳头状或鳞片状毛；雄蕊5，着生在冠管近基部，花丝粗，长0.25—0.35毫米，花药与花丝近等长或稍短；花柱2裂至基部，长约3毫米，柱头头状。浆果近球形，直径约5—6毫米，单生或双生，成熟时深蓝色或黑色。花期5—8月，果期8—12月。
产永善、盐津、镇雄、昭通、嵩明、宜良、丽江、德钦、维西、中甸、贡山、泸水、鹤庆、洱源、大理、漾濞、大姚、禄劝、麻栗坡、西畴、弥勒、绿春、景东；生于海拔1100—3650米处的山谷溪边林中或灌丛。四川、西藏、湖南、湖北也有。

《Flora of China》|| Rubiaceae || Rubia ||金钱草 Rubia membranacea

18. Rubia membranacea Diels, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edin­burgh. 5: 279. 1912.

金钱草 jin qian cao

Rubia membranacea var. caudata Z. Ying Zhang; R. membranacea var. incurvata Z. Ying Zhang.

Vines or climbing herbs; stems to 2 m, quadrangular, glabrous or hirtellous at nodes, scaberulous, retrorsely aculeolate, or sometimes subsmooth. Leaves in whorls of 4; petiole 0.5-2.5(-4) cm; blade drying membranous to papery, lanceolate to subovate, 1-6(-8) × 0.5-2(-4) cm, base rounded to cordate, margins usually aculeolate, apex acuminate or shortly acuminate; principal veins 3 or 5, palmate. Inflorescences thyrsoid, paniculate, with terminal and axillary, few- to many-flowered cymes, 2-3 cm; axes glabrous and smooth; pedicels 2-5 mm; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 1-5 mm. Ovary ca. 1.8 mm, glabrous. Corolla purplish red, rotate, fused basal part 0.2-0.6 mm; lobes spreading, ovate-lanceolate, 2-3(-4) mm, caudate. Mericarp berry dark blue or black, 5-9 mm in diam. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Oct.

● Sparse forests, forest margins, thickets, grasslands; 1100-3000 m. Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan.

We have seen no authentic material of Rubia membranacea, which was well illustrated in H. S. Lo (in FRPS 71(2): 293, t. 62, f. 7-12. 1999). The short cymes indicated together with small leaves and relatively large rotate purplish flowers might be distinctive. We have seen only one ± corresponding collection (Sichuan: Mianning Xian, Lamagetou Nature Reserve, D. E. Boufford et al. 32941), but it deviates in habit and more loose cymes.

The two varieties of this species listed above were described and figured by Z. Ying Zhang (Fl. Tsinling. 1(5): 17, 421. 1985) but not cited by H. S. Lo (loc. cit.: 314-315). They were distinguished from var. membranacea by the orientation of the corolla lobes, said to be "incurved" in var. incurvata and long caudate and glabrous in var. caudata, differences of doubtful taxonomic relevance.