Maddenia himalaica J. D. Hooker & Thomson

Trees 3–8(–10) m tall. Branchlets of more than two year’s growth purplish brown to reddish brown, pubescent, lustrous; branchlets of first year’s growth reddish brown, densely brown villous, glabrescent. Winter buds purplish red, ovoid; scales outside brown villous to subglabrous. Stipules lorate-lanceolate, abaxially pubescent, margin glandular serrate, apex acuminate. Petiole 2–5 mm, densely brown villous; leaf blade abaxially pale green and densely brown villous especially on veins but occasionally glabrous except on veins, adaxially dark green and glabrous, margin teeth with an apical gland when young; midvein and secondary veins abaxially conspicuously prominent, adaxially impressed; secondary veins 15–20 on either side of midvein. Sterile shoots with leaf blade narrowly elliptic, oblong, or rarely ovate, 5–15 × 1.8–5 cm, base subrounded to cordate, margin aristate biserrate, apex long acuminate to caudate. Flowering shoots with leaf blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5–9.5 × 2–5 cm, base cordate, margin incised and simple or biserrate, apex long acuminate to caudate. Racemes 3.5–6 cm, dense; peduncle densely brown villous; bracts oblong lanceolate, membranous, outside sparsely pubescent, margin glandular serrate. Bisexual flowers 2–4 mm in diam. Pedicel ca. 2 mm, to 5 mm in fruit, densely brown villous. Hypanthium outside brown villous. Perianth segments ovate, ca. 3 mm, soon caducous, outside brown villous, inside subglabrous, margin entire, apex acute. Stamens 20–30. Ovary glabrous. Style slender, ± as long as stamens, base persistent in fruit; stigma disc-shaped. Drupe purple, ovoid, ca. 9 mm in diam., apex acute. Fl. May, fr. Jun.

E and S Xizang (Bomi Xian, Yadong Xian) [Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim].

Forests; 2800--4200 m.

Maddenia himalaica var. glabrifolia H. Hara.