Inhabiting gravelly soil in
rocky areas in montane forests, Epigaea asiatica, a small
evergreen shrub, branches out to crawl on the ground, rooting and
growing diagonally upwards to approximately 10cm in height. Leaves,
with short petioles, are of alternate phyllotaxis, leathery, in the
oval shape with pointed tips, the blades measuring 4-10cm long, and
the margins have long coarse brown hairs along with them. Flowers,
light red, 3-6 in number, come in racemes set on the branch ends;
the corollas, each 1-1.5cm long, tubular, cleft in five at the top,
and bending backward. Bloom time: May-June. |