Ilex sikkimensis Kurz

Trees evergreen, 10-17 m tall. Branchlets gray-black or reddish yellow-brown; bark pale yellowish when dry, thick, longitudinally angular, glabrous; second year’s branchlets with expanded, raised elliptic or oblong lenticels, leaf scars slightly raised, semicircular; terminal buds ovoid, 1.5-2.5 cm, ca. 1.3 cm in diam.; buds scales ovate or broadly ovate, 1.5-2.5 cm, abaxially densely puberulent, margin often membranous, apex obtuse, axillary buds ovoid, ca. 5 mm in diam., buds scales ciliate. Leaves on first to second year’s branchlets; petiole 2-5 cm, abaxially rugose, adaxially sulcate or broadly so, distal half narrowly winged by decurrent leaf base; leaf blade olivaceous when dry, elliptic, obovate-elliptic, or oblanceolate, (8-)10-15.5(-20) × 3-5.5(-6.2) cm, thinly leathery, both surfaces glabrous, midvein broadly and deeply impressed adaxially, longitudinally striate when dry, lateral veins 12-15 pairs, nearly parallel, raised abaxially, flat or slightly raised adaxially, furcate and anastomosing near margin, reticulate veins conspicuous abaxially, obscure adaxially, base rounded or obtuse, margin slightly reflexed, densely serrulate, apex acuminate or acute. Inflorescences: cymes, fasciculate, pseudopaniculate or pseudoracemose, axillary on second year’s branchlets. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 2 or 3, 3-7-flowered, fasciculate; peduncles very short; bracts linear-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 mm, ciliate; pedicels 2-3 mm, with bracteoles; flowers 4-merous; calyx patelliform, 2-2.5 mm in diam., lobes 4, ovate-elliptic, ca. 1 mm, ciliate, apex rounded or obtuse; corolla rotate, petals broadly ovate or elliptic, ca. 2 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., basally slightly connate; stamens slightly shorter than petals, anthers broadly ovate or ellipsoidal; rudimentary ovary small, apex depressed. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 2, 3-flowered, pseudopaniculate or pseudoracemose; peduncles very short, puberulent; bracts broadly deltoid, ca. 1 mm; pedicels 3-4 mm; bracteoles basal, deltoid; calyx ca. 2 mm in diam., lobes broadly deltoid, ca. 0.5 mm, minutely ciliate; petals as in male flowers; sterile anthers minute. Infructescence: rachis 4-7 mm, 2-2.5 mm in diam. Fruit red, globose, 4-5 mm in diam.; peduncle ca. 1.5 mm; fruiting pedicel 6-10 mm, glabrous; persistent calyx explanate, subquadrangular, lobes deltoid, ciliate; persistent stigma discoid, 4-lobed; pyrenes 4, ovate-triangular, 2.5-3 mm, 1.5-1.8 mm in diam., abaxially convex, 3-5-striate and shallowly sulcate, laterally striate, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, endocarp stony. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Oct-Dec. 2n = 36.

E. Himalaya (Nepal to Bhutan), S. Tibet, Assam, W. China.

SE Xizang, W Yunnan [Bhutan, N India, Myanmar, Nepal].

2200-3300 m

Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 2100-3000 m.

Ilex sikkimensis var. coccinea H. F. Comber.