Japan Flora: Small, much-branched evergreen, gla­brous tree, with branches terete, grayish to dark brown, rather thick; leaves coriaceous, narrowly elliptic, narrowly ovate- elliptic, or oblong, 3-8 cm. long, 2-4.5 cm. wide, caudate, acute or rounded at base, undulate-toothed, yellow-green beneath, the midrib flat or slightly impressed on upper side, raised beneath, the petioles usually purplish brown, 1-1.5 cm. long; racemes simple, 10- to 30-flowered, rather dense, 3-7 cm. long, brownish puberulent, the pedicels 1.5-3 mm. long, the bracts orbicular, 3 mm. long, the bracteoles ovate, membranous, shorter than the calyx; calyx-teeth depressed-orbicular, ciliolate; fruit nar­rowly ovate, black, 6-7 mm. long. Apr.-May.

Honshu (Kazusa and Awa Prov. and westw.), Shikoku, Kyushu. s. Korea and Ryukyus.

 

 

Korea Flora: Evergreen small tree. Bark smooth. Winter buds and young shoots: Leaf buds narrowly ovoid, 5-10mm, pointed tip, reddish-red and glabrous; flower buds circular. Branches thick, initially gray, later turning purplish-brown. Leaves alternate, thick, broadly lanceolate, apex acuminate, base cuneate, size 5-8cm × 2-3cm. Upper surface dark green, lower surface yellowish-green, glabrous, with sparse wavy serrations. Petiole 9-15mm long. Flowers bisexual, 7mm in diameter, pale green or yellowish-green. Inflorescence a raceme in leaf axils at the end of previous year's branches, with 10-30 flowers. Rachis 3-8cm long, densely covered with fine hairs. Calyx tube glabrous, sepals broadly ovate with soft hairs. Corolla petals ovate, 25-35 stamens. Ovary 3-chambered. Fruit and seed elongated ovoid, 6-8mm long, black. 

Flowering: Late April to mid-May

Fruiting : September

Distribution: Southern China, Taiwan [Bhutan, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam]. Southern Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa in Japan; Jeju in Korea

Ecological characteristics: Originally grows in wetlands but adapts well to dry areas; shade-tolerant.