峨眉冬青 e mei dong qing

Shrubs or trees, evergreen, 2-11 m tall. Branchlets gray-brown or black when dry, stout, terete, glabrous; current year’s branchlets longitudinally striate and plicate; second to third year’s longitudinally minutely fissured, leaf scars slightly raised, semicircular, lenticels obscure; terminal buds subglobose, small, glabrous. Stipules persistent, deltoid, 0.7-1.5 mm, apically acute; petiole 1.2-2 cm, thick, abaxially rounded, transversely rugose, adaxially sulcate, glabrous; leaf blade abaxially green, adaxially deep green, shiny, broadly elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 8-20 × 3.5-7 cm, thickly leathery, both surfaces glabrous, midvein abaxially raised, adaxially impressed, lateral veins 6-8 pairs, slightly raised on both surfaces, arcuate, anastomosing near margin, reticulate veins obscure on both surfaces, base obtuse or subrounded, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate. Inflorescences: cymes, fasciculate, fascicles composed of 5-9 cymes, axillary on second to third year’s branchlets or leaf scars, pubescent; bracts deltoid, ca. 2 × 1.7 mm, apex acute. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 3; peduncles 2-2.5 cm; secondary axis 2-3 mm; pedicels 6-8 mm; bracteoles basal, minute; flowers yellowish, 5(or 6)-merous; calyx patelliform, 3-4 mm in diam., puberulent, deeply 5- or 6-lobed, lobes deltoid, ca. 1.5 × 1.2 mm, apex obtuse, ciliate; corolla rotate, ca. 6 mm in diam., petals ovate-elliptic, ca. 2.5 × 1.7 mm, basally slightly connate; stamens shorter than petals, anthers ellipsoidal; rudimentary ovary subglobose, ca. 1 mm in diam. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 2; peduncles 7-12 mm; pedicels 4-7 mm; bracteoles 1 or 2, subbasal; flowers 6- or 7-merous; calyx ca. 3.5 mm in diam., deeply 6- or 7-lobed; corolla suberect, ca. 4 mm in diam., petals 6 or 7, ovate, ca. 1.5 mm, basally slightly connate; staminodes very small, ca. 1/2 as long as petals, sterile anthers cordate; ovary ovoid, ca. 2 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam. at base, stigma papillate, rarely cristate. Fruit red, globose, 3.5-4 mm in diam.; persistent calyx patelliform; persistent stigma thickly discoid; pyrenes 6 or 7, oblong, ca. 2 mm, ca. 1 mm in diam., trigonous in cross section, abaxially smooth, 3-striate, striae slightly impressed, sometimes anastomosing at both ends, endocarp leathery. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Oct.

● Mixed forests, mountain slopes; 500-1800 m. Sichuan (Emei Shan, Hongya, Pingshan).