Ilex hunanensis C. J. Qi & Q. Z. Lin

Trees evergreen, 5-8 m tall. Branchlets brown or black, rather zigzag, slender; current year’s branchlets longitudinally deeply sulcate and angular, sparsely puberulent; second to third year’s branchlets subquadrangular, rugose, glabrescent, leaf scars raised, narrowly crescent-shaped, lenticels absent; terminal buds minute, often poorly developed. Petiole 5-10 mm, abaxially rounded, glabrous, adaxially deeply and narrowly longitudinally sulcate, puberulent in groove; leaf blade olivaceous or brown-olivaceous when dry, elliptic or obovate-oblong to ovate-oblong, 5-9 × 2.5-5 cm, thinly leathery or papery, midvein raised and glabrous abaxially, impressed and puberulent adaxially, lateral veins (6 or 7 or)9 or 10 pairs, slightly raised on both surfaces, anastomosing near margin, reticulate veins evident on both surfaces, base obtuse or rounded, margin entire or undulate and shallowly serrate distally, apex abruptly acuminate or acute. Inflorescences: cymes, fasciculate or pseudopaniculate, axillary on second year’s branchlets, sparsely shortly puberulent; bracts caducous, deltoid. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 1-3, 1-5-flowered; peduncles 1-3 mm; pedicels 1-2 mm; bracteoles 2, basal; flowers pink, 5- or 6-merous; calyx patelliform, ca. 2 mm in diam., glabrous, deeply 5- or 6-lobed, lobes ovate-deltoid, margin erose, not ciliate; corolla rotate, 5-6 mm in diam., petals ovate, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, basally slightly connate, apex rounded; stamens shorter than petals, anthers oblong; rudimentary ovary pulvinate, rostellate. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 1 or 2, 1-3-flowered; peduncles 1-3 mm; pedicels ca. 3 mm; bracteoles 2, basal; calyx and corolla as in male flowers; staminodes ca. 1/2 as long as petals; ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., stigma thickly discoid, lobed. Fruit globose-ellipsoidal, ca. 4 mm, ca. 3 mm in diam., longitudinally striate and sulcate when dry; persistent calyx explanate, ca. 3 mm in diam., lobes deltoid; persistent stigma capitate or thickly discoid; pyrenes (4-)6, ellipsoidal, ca. 3 mm, ca. 1 mm in diam., ends pointed, abaxially rugose, longitudinally sulcate, laterally smooth, endocarp woody. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jun-Nov.

Guangdong (Maoming, Yangjiang), Guangxi, Guizhou, E Hainan, Hunan (Suining, Tongdao, Zhangjiajie), SE Yunnan (Hekou, Jinping).

● Dense forests, sparse forests, valleys, mountain slopes; 400-1000 m.

Ilex hunanensis C. J. Qi & Q. Z. Lin; I. rotunda Thunberg var. hainanina Loesener.