| Ilex latifolia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tree in Osaka-fu, Japan | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Aquifoliales |
| Family: | Aquifoliaceae |
| Genus: | Ilex |
| Species: | I. latifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ilex latifolia | |
Ilex latifolia (tarajo holly or tarajo; Japanese: 多羅葉 (たらよう, tarayō), Chinese: 大叶冬青 dà yè dōngqīng) is a species of holly, native to southern Japan ( Shizuoka Prefecture south to Kyūshū) and eastern and southern China ( Jiangsu south to Fujian and west to Yunnan), growing in broadleaf forests at altitudes of 200–1,500 m. [1] [2] [3] [4]
It is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 10–20 m tall with a trunk up to 60 cm diameter. The bark is dark brown, with a rough surface. The leaves are alternate, broad lanceolate to ovate-oblong, 8–24 cm long and 4–8 cm broad (among the largest of any species of holly), glossy dark green above, paler below, with a thick, leathery texture and serrated (but not spiny) margins. The flowers are yellowish-green, with a four-lobed corolla, produced in late spring; it is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The fruit is a drupe 7 mm diameter, ripening orange-red to dark red in winter, and containing four seeds; they are often produced in dense clusters on the stems. [2] [3] [5] [6] [7]
Cultivation and uses
It is cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and temple gardens. [3] The leaves may be infused to make tea ("bitter nail tea" kǔ dīng chá). [8]
References
- ^ "Ilex latifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b Yuanlin Flora: Ilex latifolia (in Chinese); google translation
- ^ a b c Japan Plants: Ilex latifolia (in Japanese); google translation
- ^ Plants for a Future: Ilex latifolia
- ^ Japanese Treeflowers: Ilex latifolia
- ^ Botanic Japan: Ilex latifolia (in Japanese); google translation
- ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
- ^ Hu, Ting; He, Xiao-Wei; Jiang, Jian-Guo; Xu, Xi-Lin (2014). "Efficacy evaluation of a Chinese bitter tea (Ilex latifolia Thunb.) via analyses of its main components". Food & Function. 5 (5): 876–881. doi: 10.1039/c3fo60603a. ISSN 2042-6496. PMID 24638847.