A deciduous climber growing up to 16 ft high, devoid of down in all its parts; young shoots reddish brown. Leaves 2 to 4 in. long, obovate to oval or roundish, tapered at the base, more or less slenderly pointed, minutely and distantly toothed, pale green beneath; stalk slender, 3⁄4 to 11⁄2 in. long. Flowers unisexual, solitary in the lower leaf-axils of the new shoots, about 5⁄8 in. wide, greenish outside, orange-coloured within, pendulous on slender stalks 1 to 2 in. long; sepals and petals together about nine; male flowers with ten to fifteen stamens. Fruit clusters made up of numerous scarlet berries closely packed on the terminal two or three inches of a pendent stalk, which becomes thickened at the part bearing the berries. The entire length of the fruiting stalk may be up to 6 or 8 in. It flowers in April and May. Bot. Mag., t. 8921.
Native of Hupeh and Szechwan, China; introduced by Wilson in 1907. It has flowered at Kew and Glasnevin and is quite hardy. It is easily distinguished from S. rubriflora, introduced by Wilson at the same time, by the colour of its flowers and by the minute, often scarcely noticeable, toothing of the leaves. S. chinensis is distinguished by having only five stamens.
S. lancifolia (Rehd. & Wils.) A. C. Smith S. sphenanthera var. lancifolia Rehd. & Wils. – Well distinguished by its angled young shoots and its narrow, lanceolate, slenderly pointed leaves which are remotely toothed, 2 or 3 in. long, 1 in. or less wide.