Trees small or shrubs, to 5 m tall, andromonoecious. Bark gray or blackish gray, rough. Branchlets reddish, slender, glabrous; winter buds brown, ellipsoid. Leaves deciduous; petiole 3-5 cm, slender, glabrous; leaf blade adaxially shiny, ovate, 7-9 × 6-8 cm, papery, abaxially glabrous or rufous pilose at primary vein axils, adaxially glabrous, base subcordate, margin serrulate with adpressed apiculate teeth, 3-lobed; middle lobe triangular-oblong, apex elongated caudate-acuminate; lateral lobes ovate, apex elongated caudate-acuminate. Inflorescence terminal on leafy branchlets, appearing after leaves develop, paniculate-racemose, 10-15-flowered, slender, with conspicuous bracts and small cincinni. Pedicel 1-1.5 cm, slender, glabrous. Flowers: sepals 5, reflexed, linear-oblong; petals 5, purple, linear-oblong; disk flat, glabrous; stamens 8, glabrous, inserted at middle of disk, much shorter in pistillate flowers; ovary purplish, rudimentary in staminate flowers. Fruit purplish yellow when mature; nutlets flat, oblong, ca. 8 × 4 mm; wing including nutlet 2.2-2.5 × ca. 1 cm, wings spreading obtusely. Fl. May, fr. Sep.
Home