龙州冬青 long zhou dong qing

Ilex xylosmifolia C. Y. Wu ex Y. R. Li ["xylosmaefolia"].

Trees evergreen, small, 4-6 m tall. Young branchlets slender, densely yellow tomentose; older branchlets sparsely tomentose, longitudinally striate and sulcate, with leaf scars and lenticels; terminal buds small. Petiole 3-5 mm, rounded abaxially, sulcate adaxially, densely yellow tomentose; leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 7-9 × 2-3.2 cm, papery, yellow tomentose, midvein raised abaxially, tomentose only at base, adaxially subraised or flat, lateral veins 8 or 9 pairs, raised on both surfaces or slightly impressed adaxially, reticulate veins slightly evident on both surfaces, glabrous throughout, base obtuse or rounded, margin undulate-crenulate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences: cymes, solitary, axillary on current year’s branchlets; peduncles and pedicels densely yellow tomentose. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 3 or 4, with 6 or more flowers; flowers 4-merous; calyx deeply lobed, lobes triangular, outside yellow tomentose, ciliate; petals oblong; stamens ca. as long as or slightly shorter than petals, filaments shorter than anthers, anthers oblong; rudimentary ovary globose, stigma shallowly 4-lobed. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 2 or 3, 3-6-flowered; flowers 4-merous; calyx and corolla as in male flowers; staminodes shorter than petals, sterile anthers sagittate; ovary globose. Infructescences: 1-3-fruited; peduncles 3-5 mm; fruiting pedicels 2-3 mm, densely yellow tomentose throughout; bracteoles caducous. Fruit red, globose, ca. 6 mm in diam.; persistent calyx quadrangular, explanate, densely pubescent, lobes deltoid, ciliate; persistent stigma mammilliform; pyrenes 5, oblong, ca. 5 mm, ca. 3 mm in diam., abaxially 1-sulcate, endocarp stony. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Oct.

● Thin forests on limestone hills; 500-1200 m. SW Guangxi (Longzhou), SE Yunnan (Funing).