麦珠子 mai zhu zi

Rhamnus incana Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. 2: 350. 1824 ["incanus"]; Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzl) Reissek ex Endlicher; A. philippinensis Braid; Ceanothus excelsus (Fenzl) Steudel; Colubrina excelsa Fenzl.

Trees, small to medium-sized, evergreen, rarely to 30 m tall. Young branches ± densely yellowish to whitish pubescent. Leaves alternate, papery to subleathery; petiole 9-15 mm, densely pubescent; leaf blade 7-13 × 2.5-5 cm, ovate-lanceolate or ovate-elliptic, abaxially yellowish pubescent, adaxially ferruginous tomentose when young, glabrescent, primary veins prominent abaxially, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 11-15 pairs, base acute or obtuse to rounded, margin entire or slightly undulate, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Flowers light green to yellowish, 4-5 mm in diam., bisexual, 5-merous, in terminal or axillary cymes. Pedicel 1-2 mm. Calyx tube shallowly hemispherical, outside densely brownish pubescent; sepals triangular, ca. 1.5 mm, adaxially ± distinctly keeled. Petals erect to recurved, spatulate, ca. as long as stamens, clawed. Disk pentagonous, shallow, lining calyx tube, glandular. Ovary obconical, ± completely immersed in disk, 2- or 3-loculed; style
conical, nearly to half divided into 2 or 3 slightly capitate stylar branches. Drupe greenish when young, black at maturity, globose to broadly ovoid, 1-1.2(-1.4) cm in diam., basally surrounded by persistent calyx tube; exocarp irregularly dehiscent, with 2 or 3 woody locules, along ventral suture dehiscent at maturity, locules 1-seeded; fruiting pedicel 3-4 mm. Seeds red, shiny, with membranous aril, often permanently attached to receptacle after fruit dehiscence. Fl. Oct-Dec, fr. Mar-May of following year.

Sparse forests on mountains and hills; middle elevations. Hainan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines].

The trees grow rapidly when young. This species is a good source of fine wood for making furniture.