Reptonia laurina Bentham, Fl. Hongk. 208. 1861.

Trees 6--15(--26) m tall. Trunk 6--20 cm d.b.h., conspicuously buttressed; bark grayish brown, thin, smooth. Branchlets angulate, glabrous. Leaves mostly alternate, some opposite, some whorled at end of branchlets; stipules subulate, 2--3 mm; petiole 1--2 cm, without appendage; leaf blade usually obovate to oblanceolate, rarely narrowly elliptic, 7--16(--19) X 3--6 cm, almost leathery, both surfaces glabrous, adaxially dark and shiny green, base cuneate, apex usually acute but sometimes obtuse to obtuse-acuminate, lateral veins 6--9 pairs. Racemes or panicles axillary, 2--13 cm. Flowers aromatic. Pedicels 1--5 mm, yellow brown tomentose. Sepals 2--3 mm, broadly ovate to subrounded, outside yellow brown tomentose, inside glabrous. Corolla green, becoming pale yellow; lobes broadly obovate to subrounded, 2--2.5 mm. Staminodes subulate, longer than stamens. Ovary ovoid, 1--1.5 mm, 1-locular, glabrous. Style thick, ca. 1 mm. Drupe green, becoming red and finally black, oblong to ellipsoid, 1.5--2.5 X 0.8--1 cm, base with recurved persistent calyx, pericarp very thin. Seed 1, ca. 1.7 X 0.8 cm. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Dec-Jan.

Source of timber.

Forests in valleys or along streams; 400--500 m. Fujian, Guangxi, Hainan, Zhejiang [N Vietnam].