Aralia vietnamensis Ha

Shrubs or small trees, 2-12 m tall, andromonoecious. Branches with conic prickles. Leaves 2(or 3)-pinnately compound, with a pair of accessory leaflets at each division of rachis; petiole to 70 cm, fulvous strigose, with straight, conic prickles; petiolules 3-10 mm; leaflets 5-13 per pinna, ovate or to broadly ovate, 8-26 × 4-17 cm, papery to leathery, abaxially densely fulvous strigose, adaxially sparsely fulvous strigose, more densely so on veins, secondary veins 8-10 pairs, prominent abaxially, impressed adaxially, base cordate to subcordate or rounded, margin serrate, apex acute, sometimes acuminate. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of umbels, densely strigose, unarmed; primary axis to 2-5 cm; secondary axes 45-170 cm; ultimate axes with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and several lateral umbels of male flowers; bracts persistent, triangular, to 1 cm; umbels 10-30-flowered; pedicels 2-12 mm, pubescent. Ovary 5-carpellate; styles 5, united basally, free apically. Fruit globose to ovoid-globose, 3-4 mm in diam.; styles persistent, recurved. Fl. Sep-Dec, fr. Nov-Jan.

Guangdong, W Guangxi (Jingxi), Guizhou, SE Yunnan (Malipo, Xichou) [N Vietnam].

Hillsides, secondary forests and forest margins, roadsides; 100-1500 m.

Aralia strigosa C. Y. Wu ex C. B. Shang.