Ilex godajam Colebr.

Shrubs or trees, evergreen, 5-13 m tall; bark gray-white. Branchlets gray, zigzag, subterete, with rounded, raised lenticels and subcircular, raised leaf scars, glabrescent; current year’s young branchlets longitudinally striate, densely puberulent; terminal buds ovoid, small, poorly developed, densely puberulent or glabrous. Stipules subulate-deltoid, minute, puberulent; petiole 1-1.5 cm, puberulent, longitudinally sulcate adaxially; leaf blade abaxially greenish, adaxially green to deep green, shiny, ovate or oblong, 4.5-8 × 2.5-4 cm, thinly leathery, when young thinly papery, and puberulent on midvein and near base, glabrescent, midvein impressed adaxially, lateral veins 7-9 pairs, raised abaxially, distinct adaxially, anastomosing near margin, reticulate veins evident abaxially, indistinct adaxially, base rounded, margin entire, apex obtuse-rounded or shortly deltoid-acuminate. Inflorescences: cymes of order 2-5, umbelliform, solitary, axillary on current year’s branchlets, often appearing paniculate when shoot fails to develop; peduncles and pedicels densely puberulent; flowers white-yellow, 4-6-merous. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 4 or 5, 8-23-flowered; peduncles (1-)1.4-1.8 cm; pedicels 2-4 mm; bracteoles subulate, basal, puberulent; calyx patelliform, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., puberulent, deeply 4- or 5-lobed, lobes ovate, margin erose, ciliate; corolla rotate, petals 4, oblong, ca. 2 mm, basally slightly connate; stamens ca. as long as petals, anthers ovoid; rudimentary ovary globose, rostellate. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 2-4, 3-13-flowered; peduncles 1-1.4 cm; bracts basal, deltoid, densely puberulent; pedicels 2-5 mm; bracteoles basal, deltoid; calyx as in male flowers; petals elliptic, ca. 2 mm; staminodes not seen; ovary ovoid, stigma capitate. Fruit red, globose, ca. 4 mm in diam.; persistent calyx explanate, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., ciliate; persistent stigma discoid, convex; pyrenes 5 or 6, ellipsoidal, 2-2.5 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., abaxially 3-striate and 2-sulcate, endocarp woody. Fl. Jan, Apr-May, fr. May, Aug-Sep. 2n = 40*.

E. Himalaya (Nepal, Sikkim), Assam, N. Indo-China, W. & S. China.

Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, N Vietnam].

250-600 m

Sparse forests, thickets on mountain slopes; 300-1000 m.

Prinos godajam Colebrooke in Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3: 38. 1832; Ilex capitellata Pierre; I. godajam f. capitellata (Pierre) Loesener; I. rotunda Thunberg var. piligera Loesener.