• Scientific Name: Clethra barbinervis Siebold & Zucc.
• Ref: Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 4(3):128. 1846
• Synonyms: Clethra japonica Thunb. ex Steud.; C. stolonifera Nakai; C. wuyishanica R.C.Ching ex L.C.Hu; C. wuyishanica var. erosa L.C.Hu
• Chinese Common Name: 髭脉桤叶树 zīmài qīyè∙shù, 华东桤叶树 Huádōng qīyè∙shù, 华东山柳 Huádōng shānliǔ
• Japanese Common Name: リョウブ [令法] ryōbu
• Family: Clethraceae
• Genus: Clethra
• Distribution: Open deciduous montane forests, ± dry places; 800–1800 m. Anhui, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shandong (Lao Shan), Zhejiang [Japan, Korea].
• Photo: 08/14/2010, Qingliang Peak, Zhejiang

Trees or shrubs, 1–9 m tall, deciduous. Petiole 0.6–2.4 cm; leaf blade ovate, lanceolate-ovate, elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 5.2–11 × 2.8–4.8 cm, papery, abaxially appressed pilose or glabrous on major veins and often stellate-tufted in secondary vein axils, glabrous elsewhere, and reticulations dark brown but not raised, base attenuate to cuneate or occasionally obtuse to subrounded, margin sharply serrate nearly throughout or basal 1/4–1/3 entire, teeth 22–39 per side on larger leaves and 1–4 mm apart, apex acuminate; secondary veins (8–)11–14 on each side of midvein. Racemes or raceme branches (1–)3–8 per twig, 5–17 cm, grayish brown or brown stellate-tomentose but sometimes sparsely so, thickest rachis on each twig basally 0.8–1.7 mm in diam.; bracts linear-subulate, 3–6 mm. Pedicel 1.5–5.5 mm at anthesis. Sepals ovate, 2–3(–3.8) × 1.2–1.6 mm, outside densely white stellate-tomentose and surface (visible through pubescence) usually medially blackened, midvein usually indistinct at anthesis, apex obtuse. Petals white, 3–4 × 2–2.9 cm, outside smooth, inside glabrous, margin thickened and apically fimbriate. Stamens 4–5.3 mm, exserted; filaments glabrous or occasionally sparsely pilose; anthers 1.3–2 mm. Style 1.5–3.5 mm at anthesis, glabrous, apex 3-lobed to shallowly 3-cleft. Fruiting pedicel 4–9 mm. Ovary and capsule apically hirsute with longer hairs 0.7–1.1 mm; persistent style 3–5 mm. Fl. Jun–Aug, fr. Sep–Nov. 2n = 32. (Flora of China)

08/14/2010, Qingliang Peak, Zhejiang