锥果厚皮香 zhui guo hou pi xiang

Shrubs or trees, 3-12 m tall. Young branches grayish brown, glabrous. Petiole 1-2 cm, glabrous; leaf blade elliptic to broadly elliptic, 6-10 × 2.8-5.3 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green and shiny, both surfaces glabrous, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially slightly impressed, secondary veins 6-8 on each side of midvein, slender, and visible or slightly raised on both surfaces, reticulate veins obscure, base broadly cuneate and ± decurrent, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate to acute and with an obtuse tip. Flowers axillary, solitary. Male flowers (not yet open): pedicel 1.5-3 cm, slightly compressed, glabrous; bracteoles ovate, ca. 2.5 × 2 mm, apex acute; sepals ovate-orbicular to suborbicular, 6-8 × 5-7 mm, glabrous, apex rounded to emarginate; petals white, broadly obovate, ca. 7 × 7-8 mm; stamens more than 50; filaments ca. 1 mm; anthers oblong, ca. 3 mm; pistillode evident. Bisexual flowers not seen. Fruit ovoid to conic, 1.5-2 × 1-1.3 cm, 2-loculed with 1 seed per locule; pedicel 1.5-3 cm; persistent bracteoles ovate, ca. 2.5 mm; persistent sepals ovate-orbicular, ca. 8 × 7 mm. Seeds ovoid-ellipsoid, ca. 10 × 5 mm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Forests on hills, slopes, or along streams; 300-500 m. NW Guangdong, NE Guangxi, S Hunan.