Japan Flora: Small evergreen tree with purple­ brown branches and green glabrous branchlets; leaves coria­ceous, oblanceolate to oblong, alternate, 5-12 cm. long, 1.5-5 cm. wide, abruptly acuminate, narrowed below, entire or with coarse teeth toward the tip, glabrous, the petioles 6-10 mm. long; inflorescence racemose, axillary, about 10 cm. long, short­ped uncled, glabrous, densely many-flowered, the flowers in pairs, short-pedicel led, the perianth slender-tubular, 12-14 mm. long just before anthesis, slightly thickened above, the seg­ments 4, white, linear, revolute in anthesis; stamens inserted on the upper part of the perianth-segments, the anthers broadly linear, 2-2.5 mm. long; fruit berrylike, ellipsoidal, purple-black, 10-12 mm. long.  Aug.-Oct. Warmer parts.

Honshu (Tokaidd and s. Kinki to Chugoku Distr.), Shikoku, Kyushu.  Ryukyus, Formosa, China and Indochina.