Rhamnus heterophylla Oliver

The fruit contains yellow dye, and the young leaves are used as a substitute for tea.

This species is variable. Pritzel (Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 29: 459. 1900) published Rhamnus heterophylla var. oblongifolia as different from var. heterophylla based on "leaves larger, narrowly lanceolate"; however, we reduced it here in synonymy.

Shrubs low, climbing, dioecious, to 2 m tall, unarmed. Young branches and branchlets slender, densely pubescent. Stipules subulate or linear-lanceolate, shorter than petioles, persistent; petiole 2-7 mm, densely pubescent; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially vivid green, oblong, ovate-elliptic, or ovate-oblong, 1.5-4.5 × 1-2.2 cm, papery to subleathery, abaxially pubescent in vein axils and on major veins, adaxially glabrous, lateral veins 2-4 pairs, slightly prominent abaxially, inconspicuous adaxially, base cuneate or rounded, margin serrulate or crenulate, ± revolute when dry, apex acute, often mucronulate. Flowers unisexual, 5-merous, solitary or 2- or 3-clustered in axils of small leaflike bracts. Pedicels 1-2 mm, sparsely puberulent. Sepals puberulent, adaxially 3-veined. Male flowers: petals spatulate, apex emarginate, with rudimentary pistil; ovary abortive. Female flowers: petals 2-fid, caducous, with very small rudimentary stamens; ovary globose, 3-loculed; style short, 3-cleft to half. Drupe black at maturity, globose, with persistent calyx tube at base, with 3 stones; fruiting pedicel 1-2 mm. Seeds abaxially with margined furrow extending over 4/5 of length. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Nov-Dec.

SE Gansu, Guizhou, W Hubei, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan.

● Forest margins, thickets on mountain slopes; 300-1500 m.

Rhamnus cavaleriei H. Léveillé (10 May 1911), not H. Léveillé (5 Dec 1911); R. heterophylla var. oblongifolia E. Pritzel.

Rhamnus heterophylla là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Táo. Loài này được Oliv. miêu tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1888.

异叶鼠李（学名：Rhamnus heterophylla）为鼠李科鼠李属下的一个种。