Tilia jiaodongensis S. B. Liang

The very large bracteolate inflorescence of Tilia jiaodongensis is unusual and is probably aberrant. The species was not accepted by Pigott. It was originally compared to T. mongolica from which it was distinguished by the acute leaf apex and glabrous ovary. The nature of the ovary requires clarification as the fruit is described as hairy.

Trees. Branchlets and buds glabrous. Petiole 3-5 cm, glabrous; leaf blade ovate-orbicular, 5-8 × 5-7 cm, abaxially hairy only in axils of veins, adaxially glabrous, lateral veins 6-7 pairs, base cordate or shallowly cordate, margin serrulate, teeth 2-3 mm, apex acute. Cymes (20-)40-100-flowered, 6-13 cm, glabrous. Bracts on 1-2 cm stalk, oblanceolate, 5-9 × 0.8-1.5 cm, glabrous, base obliquely cuneate, apex obtuse; bracteoles 3-4-verticillate at bases of pedicels, present at each branching of inflorescence, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 0.3-3 × 0.2-1 cm, densely brown stellate tomentose. Pedicel 3-7 mm. Sepals narrowly ovate, 4-5 mm, abaxially stellate hairy, adaxially sparsely stellate at apex and densely villous at base. Petals obovate, 4-5 mm, glabrous. Staminodes shorter than petals. Ovary ovoid, prominently 5-angled; style short. Fruit subglobose, minutely 5-angled, ca. 5 mm in diam., thickly leathery, fragile, densely brown puberulent, indehiscent.

Shandong.

● Sunny slopes; ca. 600 m.