Litsea sect. Neolitsea Bentham & J. D. Hooker, Gen. Pl. 3: 161. 1880; Bryantea Rafinesque; Tetradenia Nees (1831), not Bentham (1830).

Trees or shrubs, evergreen, dioecious. Leaves alternate, clustered, or verticillate, rarely subopposite, triplinerved, rarely pinninerved or subtriplinerved. Umbels solitary or fasciculate, pedunculate or not; bracts opposite, large, late deciduous; perianth segments 4, in 2 whorls. Flowers unisexual. Male flowers: fertile stamens 6 in 3 whorls of 2 each; filaments of 1st and 2nd whorls eglandular, of 3rd whorls 2-glandular at base; anthers all introrse, 4-celled. Female flowers: staminodes 6, clavate, of 1st and 2nd whorls eglandular, of 3rd whorls 2-glandular at base; ovary superior; style conspicuous; stigma peltate. Fruit seated on slightly enlarged disciform or concave perianth tube; pedicel often slightly thickened.

Neolitsea bawangensis R. H. Miao (Acta Sci. Nat. Univ. Sunyatseni 32(4): 57. 1993) was described from Hainan but could not be treated here because no material was seen by the present authors.

About 85 species: Indo-Malaysia to E Asia; 45 species (35 endemic) in China.

(Authors: Huang Puhua (黄普华 Huang Pu-hwa); Henk van der Werff)