假桂皮树 jia gui pi shu

Cinnamomum albiflorum Nees var. tonkinense Lecomte, Fl. Indo-Chine 5: 115. 1914.

Trees, up to 30 m tall, to 45 cm d.b.h. Bark gray-brown. Two-year-old branchlets dark brown, terete, glabrous; 1-year-old branchlets pubescent initially soon glabrate. Leaves alternate or those on upper part of branchlet subopposite; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm, somewhat sulcate adaxially, glabrous; leaf blade whitish green and opaque abaxially, shiny and green but brownish when dry adaxially, ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate to oblong, (6-)8-12(-17) × (2.5-)3-5(-5.5) cm, leathery, sparsely finely pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, triplinerved, midrib and basal lateral veins elevated abaxially, inconspicuous adaxially, extending to leaf apex, basal lateral veins arising 5-10(-15) mm above leaf base, each with 6 or 7 additional veins outside, sometimes also each with 1 additional vein at base near leaf margin, transverse veins undulate, ± conspicuous abaxially and inconspicuous adaxially, base broadly cuneate to subrotund, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate or obtuse. Panicle axillary or subterminal, always axillary in leaf axils remote from apex of branchlet, short, 2.5-6 cm, densely many flowered, branched, apex of branch bearing a 3-flowered cyme; peduncle 0.5-2 cm, peduncle and rachis gray sericeous-pubescent. Pedicels 5-7 mm, gray sericeous-pubescent. Flowers white, up to 5 mm. Perianth sparsely pubescent outside but densely so inside; perianth tube obconical, ca. 2 mm; perianth lobes ovate, acute, ca. 6 mm, outer ones broader, ca. 3.5 mm wide, inner ones ca. 3 mm wide. Fertile stamens 9, ca. 3 mm (of 1st and 2nd whorls) or ca. 4 mm (of 3rd whorl); filaments pubescent, those of 3rd whorl each with 2 subsessile reniform glands slightly above middle, others glandless; anthers pubescent abaxially, slightly longer than filaments, ovate (of 1st and 2nd whorls) or oblong (of 3rd whorl), all 4-celled; cells introrse (of 1st and 2nd whorls) or lateral-extrorse (of 3rd whorl). Staminodes 3, sagittate, ca. 2 mm, shortly stalked. Ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm, sparsely puberulent; style ca. 3.5 mm; stigma discoid. Fruit ovoid, ca. 1.3 × 9 mm, apex truncate and entire. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Oct.

Humid sites among evergreen broad-leaved forests; 1000-1800 m. SE Yunnan [N Vietnam].