香胶蒲桃 xiang jiao pu tao

Eugenia balsamea Wight, Ill. Ind. Bot. 2: 16. 1841.

Shrubs or trees, to 12 m tall. Branchlets grayish white when dry, slightly compressed. Petiole 1-1.3 cm; leaf blade elliptic to narrowly oblong, 10-20 × 4-8.5 cm, leathery, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, apex acute to sometimes slightly obtuse, both surfaces with numerous small glands, abaxially grayish brown when dry, adaxially pale brown and not glossy when dry, secondary veins 11-13 on each side of midvein, 0.8-1.3 cm apart, and abaxially raised, reticulate veins conspicuous, intramarginal veins ca. 2.5 mm from margin. Inflorescences lateral on leafless branches, paniculate, 2-7 cm; peduncle grayish white. Hypanthium obconic, ca. 2.5 mm, apex nearly abrupt. Calyx lobes inconspicuous. Petals coherent. Stamens 2-3 mm. Style as long as stamens. Fruit red, globose, 5-6 mm in diam., 1-seeded. Fl. Nov-Dec, fr. Jan-Feb.

Moist open or dense forests, riversides; 500-1300 m. Xizang (Mêdog), S Yunnan [India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].