Dahuolu Huang is the whole plant of the Primulaceae plant Leitou Guolu Huang. Many people think that Dahuolu Huang and Guolu Huang are the same plant, but in fact, they have significant differences in plant morphology. Let's take a closer look at the morphological characteristics of Dahuolu Huang.
Dahuolu Huang picture
1. Stem
The stem of Dahuolu Huang is usually clustered, knee-bent and erect, 10-30 cm tall. In shady and humid habitats, the lower part of the stem often grows horizontally, with roots growing on the nodes. The upper part of the stem is twisted and rises, reaching a length of 60 cm. It is either single or branches multiple times, densely covered with 1-1.5 mm long multicellular hairs.
2. Leaf
Leaves are opposite, with the two pairs at the top of the stem closer together, densely clustered in a whorl shape. They are often 1-2 times larger than the lower leaves. The leaf blade is ovate to ovate-elliptic, occasionally lanceolate, 1.5-8 cm long, 8-40 mm wide, with a sharp or slightly blunt apex.
The base is broadly wedge-shaped, dark green on the upper side and lighter on the lower side. Both sides are covered with 1 mm long rough hairs with nodes. The midrib is slightly wider and more obvious on the lower side, while the lateral veins are slender and not prominent. The petiole is 2-12 times shorter than the leaf blade and densely covered with soft hairs.
Dahuolu Huang picture
3. Flower
Inflorescence is terminal, almost head-like, with multiple flowers. The flower stalk is 1-7 mm long, densely covered with soft hairs. The calyx is 6-9 mm long, nearly reaching the base, with lanceolate lobes and gradually pointed apex on the back, covered with soft hairs.
The corolla is yellow, 10-13 mm long, with the fused base about 3 mm long, the lobes inverted ovate or elongated oval, 4-6 mm wide, with a sharp or rounded apex and transparent glandular dots.
The filaments are fused at the base to form a tube about 3-4 mm high, and the separated part is 2.5-5 mm long. The anther is ovate-lanceolate, up to 2 mm long, with fibrous edges.
The pollen grains have 3-pored grooves and are nearly spherical (28.5-36 x 28-33 microns), with a reticulate pattern on the surface. The pistil is up to 8 mm long, covered with hairs at the lower part and the top of the ovary.
4. Fruit
The capsule of Dahuolu Huang is brown, with a diameter of 3.5-4 mm. It flowers from May to June and fruits from August to September.
