Vasilis Teodoridis:
Menispermaceae | Arcangelisia
1. Arcangelisia gusanlung H. S. Lo; Acta Phytotax. Sin. 18: 100. 1980.
??? gu shan long
Large woody vines up to 10 m. Stems and old branches gray or dark gray; irregularly and longitudinally rugose; branchlets terete; neatly and longitudinally striate; glabrous. Petioles shorter than leaf blade; leaf blade broadly ovate to broadly ovate-orbicular; 8-13 x 6-9.5 cm; leathery to thickly leathery; fuliginous adaxially and brown abaxially when dry; glabrous on both surfaces; base subtruncate or slightly rounded; rarely subcordate; apex often cuspidate; palmately 5-veined; fine reticulation more conspicuous abaxially. Male inflorescences usually arising from leaf scar on old stems; paniculate; 5-8 cm with short branches 1-2 cm or slightly longer; subglabrous. Male flowers: sepals 9 in 3 whorls; outer whorls subovate; 0.6-0.8 mm; margin erose; middle whorl oblong-elliptic; 2.2-2.3 mm; inner whorl nautiform; ca. 2.2 mm; synandrium with 9 anthers. Female flowers not seen. Infructescences borne on old stems; stout; carpophores stout; 0.7-1.5 x 0.5-0.7 cm. Drupes yellow when mature; later black; subglobose; slightly flat; 2.5-3 cm; ferruginous pilose; exocarp smooth; endocarp subbony; oblate. Fl. summer.
? Forests. Hainan.
Material of this species was originally identified as Arcangelisia flava (Linnaeus) Merrill (including A. loureiroi (Pierre) Diels) (e.g.; Forman; Fl. Thailand 5(3): 339. 1991). Arcangelisia flava has larger leaves; (10-)12-25 x (5.5-)8-19 cm; inflorescences 10-50 cm; and carpophores to 4 cm.
This species is used medicinally. An unpublished IUCN list recorded it as vulnerable: VU(A1c;2c;B2c).