Uncaria lanosa Wall., Fl. Ind. 2: 131 (1824)

Species name meaning 'woolly'.

Synonyms
Nauclea lanosa (Wall.) Poir.
Nauclea lanosa (Wall.) DC.
Uruparia lanosa (Wall.) Kuntze

Description
Woody vines, height not noted. Young stems quadrangular, sparsely hirsute to glabrescent. Petiole 4-10 mm, sparsely hirsute to glabrescent; leaf blade drying papery, ovate, lanceolate, or lanceolate-oblong, 7-11 x 3.5-8 cm, adaxially shiny and glabrous except sparsely hirsute along veins, abaxially glabrescent except sparsely hirsute along veins, base rounded, truncate, or cordulate, apex acute to acuminate; secondary veins 6-9 pairs, usually with domatia in axils of secondary and often also tertiary veins; stipules persistent or caducous, ovate, 6-10 x 8-10 mm, 2-lobed for 1/3-1/2, lobes narrowly triangular, acute to acuminate. Inflorescences axillary and frequently also terminal, strigose to hirsute or glabrescent; peduncle 2.5-4.5 cm; bracts ca. 10 mm; flowering heads solitary (or 2), 18-20 mm in diam. across calyces, 30-37 mm in diam. across corollas; bracteoles apparently absent. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Calyx densely strigillose; hypanthium portion fusiform, ca. 2 mm; limb deeply lobed; lobes linear, ca. 2 mm, obtuse. Corolla color reddish, salverform, externally sparsely sericeous to glabrescent; tube ca. 12 mm; lobes oblong, ca. 2.5 mm, obtuse. Fruiting heads 30-40 mm in diam.; pedicels 5-9 mm. Fruit pedicellate, fusiform, 9-27 x 1-3 mm, strigose; seeds 2.5-3 mm. [from Flora of China]

Ecology
Mostly on open places in the forest and in open secondary vegetation and along roads and forest edges.

Uses

Distribution
From southern China and Taiwan to New Guinea, Australia and West Pacific.

Local names
China: Heng chun gou teng.