Ilex buxoides S. Y. Hu

Trees, rarely shrubs, evergreen, ca. 9 m tall; bark brown. Current year’s branchlets slender, longitudinally rugose, pubescent; third year’s branchlets terete, pubescent; leaf scars raised, linear; lenticels obscure; terminal buds conical, densely pubescent. Stipules persistent, deltoid, pubescent; petiole ca. 5 mm, pubescent, longitudinally and shallowly sulcate adaxially; leaf blade adaxially olivaceous, slightly shiny when dry, elliptic, obovate-elliptic, or subrhombic, 2-4.5 × 1-2 cm, leathery, abaxially glandular punctate, both surfaces sparsely puberulent, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, slightly evident abaxially, obscure adaxially, reticulate veins obscure, base cuneate, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate or obtuse, acumen retuse. Inflorescences: cymes, fasciculate, axillary on second year’s branchlets. Male inflorescences: cymes of order (1 or)2, (1 or) 3-flowered; bracts ovate, pubescent; peduncles 3-5 mm; pedicels 2-3 mm; bracteoles pubescent; flowers white, 4- or 5-merous; calyx patelliform, ca. 2 mm in diam., pubescent, 4- or 5-lobed, lobes deltoid, apex obtuse, ciliate; corolla rotate, ca. 5 mm in diam., petals ovate, ca. 2 mm, basally slightly connate; stamens 4, rarely 5, shorter than petals, anthers oblong; rudimentary ovary subglobose, minutely lobed at center. Female flowers not known. Infructescences: 1-fruited cymes; fruiting pedicels ca. 5 mm, densely puberulent; bracteoles 2, submedian, persistent. Fruit red, globose, 4-5 mm in diam.; persistent calyx explanate, ca. 3 mm in diam., pubescent, 4-lobed, lobes suborbicular, ciliate; persistent stigma rather raised, thinly discoid; pyrenes 4, oblong, 3-3.5 mm, ca. 2 mm in diam., abaxially and laterally reticulately striate, striae raised, easily detached from endocarp, endocarp leathery. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jul-Oct.

Fujian, Guangdong, S Guangxi (Shangsi).

● Dense or sparse forests, mountains; 800-1500 m.