球花石楠 qiu hua shi nan

Eriobotrya griffithii (Decaisne) Franchet; Photinia franchetiana Diels; P. glomerata Rehder & E. H. Wilson var. cuneata T. T. Yü; P. glomerata var. microphylla T. T. Yü; P. griffithii Decaisne; P. serrulata Lindley var. congestiflora Cardot.

Shrubs or small trees, evergreen, 6–10 m tall. Branchlets purplish brown or grayish brown when old, terete, densely yellow tomentose when young, glabrous when old, with many scattered lenticels; buds ovoid, 3–4 mm, pubescent, apex obtuse; scales dark brown. Petiole 2–4 cm, initially densely tomentose, later subglabrous; leaf blade oblong or lanceolate to oblanceolate, leathery, (5–)6–18 × 2.5–6 cm, lateral veins 12–20 pairs, abaxially densely yellow tomentose, later partly or wholly glabrescent, adaxially initially tomentose along midvein, glabrate, base obliquely cuneate to rounded, margin somewhat revolute, serrate, apex shortly acuminate. Compound corymbs terminal, densely glomerate, 5–10 × 6–12 cm, many flowered; rachis and pedicels densely yellow tomentose. Pedicel nearly absent or very short. Flowers fragrant, 4–5 mm in diam. Hypanthium cupular, 1–1.5 mm, abaxially densely yellow tomentose. Sepals erect, ovate, 1–1.5 mm, apex acute. Petals white, suborbicular, 2–2.5 mm in diam., adaxially pilose near base, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens 20, nearly as long as petals. Styles 2, connate nearly to middle, not exceeding stamens. Fruit red, ovoid, 5–7 × 2.5–4 mm, glabrous. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Aug–Sep.

Mixed forests, thickets, roadsides, slopes; 1500--2600 m. Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan.