Ilex nanningensis Hand.-Mazz.

Trees evergreen, ca. 20 m tall. Young branchlets dark brown, subterete, longitudinally angular, densely pubescent; third year’s branchlets straight, longitudinally obscurely fissured, with semicircular leaf scars, pubescent; terminal buds small. Leaves on first to fourth year’s branchlets; stipules falcate-deltoid, pubescent at base, apically acute; petiole 7-10 mm, pubescent, adaxially sulcate, distal half narrowly winged by decurrent leaf base; leaf blade abaxially greenish, adaxially green, shiny, gray-brown when dry, elliptic, rarely lanceolate or ovate-elliptic, 5-8 × 1.5-3.5 cm, thickly leathery, midvein impressed and pubescent adaxially, lateral veins 7 or 8 pairs, distinct abaxially, obscure adaxially, reticulate veins distinct only abaxially, base obtuse or cuneate, margin crenate-serrate, slightly recurved when dry, apex shortly acuminate, acumen broadly deltoid, 2-12 mm. Male flowers not known. Female inflorescences: 1-flowered cymes, fasciculate, fascicles 2-5-flowered, axillary on second year’s branchlets; bracts ovate-reniform, apex cuspidate or mucronate, ciliate; flowers fragrant, 4-merous; pedicels 6-8 mm, pubescent; bracteoles 2, narrowly deltoid, pubescent; calyx patelliform, ca. 3 mm in diam., 4-lobed, lobes orbicular, ca. 0.5 × 1.5 mm, sparsely minutely puberulent, ciliate; corolla rotate, ca. 8 mm in diam., petals ca. 3 × 2 mm, apex ciliate; staminodes 4, slightly shorter than petals, sterile anthers sagittate; ovary ovoid, ca. 3 mm, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., apex truncate, stigma discoid. Fruit subglobose, ca. 8 mm, ca. 1 cm in diam.; fruiting pedicel ca. 8 mm; persistent calyx orbicular, explanate, ca. 3 mm in diam.; persistent stigma discoid, ca. 2 mm in diam., mesocarp fleshy; pyrenes 4, oblong, ca. 6.5 mm, ca. 5.5 mm in diam., abaxially broadly depressed, rugose, reticulately striate, endocarp woody, thin. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Oct-Nov.

Guangdong (Xinfeng), Guangxi, Hainan (Baoting).

● Forests, mixed forests, hills; 600-800 m.