Species: Schima superba
English Name: Gugertree
Chinese Name: 木荷
Family: Theaceae
Description:
Trees 5-20 m tall. Young branches glabrous or puberulent. Petiole 1-2 cm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 7-13 × 2.5-4(-6) cm, thinly leathery to leathery, abaxially pale green, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, and becoming yellowish green when dry, adaxially green, shiny, and glabrous, secondary veins 7-9 on each side of midvein and visible or obscure on both surfaces, base cuneate, margin undulately obtusely crenate from basal 1/2 apically, apex acuminate. Flowers 4-8 in a raceme, 2-3 cm in diam. Pedicel 1-2.5 cm, slender, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; bracteoles 2, caducous. Sepals semiorbicular, 2-3 mm, outside glabrous, inside sericeous, margin ciliolate. Petals white, obovate, 1-1.5 cm, outside basally puberulent. Stamens 5-7 mm. Ovary tomentose; style ca. 5 mm. Capsule subglobose, 1-2 cm in diam. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Oct-Dec. 2n = 36.
Photos used under a Creative Commons license
References:
– Wu ZY, Raven PH, Hong DY (eds) (2007). Flora of China, Volume 12: Hippocastanaceae through Theaceae. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Bot Garden Press, St. Louis