云南核果茶 yun nan he guo cha

Camellia sophiae Hu, Bull. Fan Mem. Inst. Biol., Bot. 8: 134. 1938; Tutcheria acutiserrata Hung T. Chang; T. pubicostata Hung T. Chang; T. sophiae (Hu) Hung T. Chang.

Shrubs or trees, 3-8 m tall. Year-old branchlets reddish brown, glabrous; current year branchlets densely flavescent appressed pubescent and spreading villous. Petiole 3-6(-10) mm, pubescent; leaf blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 7-12.5 × 2.5-3.5(-5) cm, leathery, abaxially yellowish green to pale brown when dry, sparsely pubescent when young, and glabrescent, adaxially yellowish green when dry, shiny, and glabrous, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 8-10 on each side of midvein and raised on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate to subrounded, margin sharply serrate, apex acuminate to acute. Flowers axillary, solitary, 7-8 cm in diam. Pedicel 0.7-1.3 cm, densely yellow pubescent; bracteoles 2, caducous, yellowish green, leaflike, oblong, ca. 2.5 × 1.2 cm, outside sparsely pubescent, inside glabrous, veins raised, margin serrate. Sepals 5, broadly ovate, 1-1.5 × 1-1.5 cm, apex acute to obtuse, outside yellowish tomentose. Petals 5-7(-9), white, broadly obovate, 3.5-4 × 2.5-3.5 cm, outside white pubescent, basally connate for 3-4 mm, apex emarginate. Stamens numerous, ca. 1.5 cm, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally slightly connate and adnate to petals. Ovary densely yellow tomentose; style 1.2-1.5 cm, basally tomentose, apically 3(or 4)-parted for ca. 5 mm. Capsule globose, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam., 3-loculed with 2 seeds per locule, dehiscent from base, apex obtuse to convex; pericarp 2-3 mm thick when dry, woody. Seeds brown, ellipsoid to oblong, laterally compressed, ca. 2 × 1 cm, shiny. Fl. May, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Forests; 1500-2400 m. SE Yunnan.