多枝紫金牛 duo zhi zi jin niu

Ardisia formosana Rolfe; Bladhia sieboldii (Miquel) Nakai; Tinus sieboldii (Miquel) Kuntze.

Shrubs or rarely small trees to 10 m tall. Branchlets terete 2-3 mm in diam., sparsely brown scaly when young, finely wrinkled. Petiole marginate, 5-10 mm; leaf blade obovate to oblanceolate, 7-14 × 2-4 cm, leathery, dull adaxially, glabrous or sometimes minutely brown scaly abaxially, base cuneate, margin entire, usually revolute, apex broadly to narrowly acute; lateral veins 14-25 on each side of midrib, inconspicuous, marginal vein obscure. Inflorescences axillary, near ends of branches, paniculate, branches subumbellate or cymose, 3-4(-7) cm, glabrous. Flowers membranous, white, ca. 3 mm. Pedicel ca. 5 mm, brown scaly. Sepals ovate, 1-1.5 mm, sparsely punctate, margin entire, ciliate, apex acute. Petals nearly free, broadly ovate, inconspicuously punctate, glabrous, apex acute. Stamens ca. 3/4 as long as petals; filaments equal to anther length; anthers ovate, prominently black or inconspicuous pellucid punctate dorsally, dehiscent by pores opening into large longitudinal slits, apex apiculate. Pistil ca. as long as petals; ovary glabrous, punctate; ovules numerous, multiseriate. Fruit globose, red to blackish, ca. 7 mm in diam., somewhat fleshy. Fl. Mar-Jun, fr. Jan-Apr. 2n = 48.

Mixed forests, thickets, mountains, hillsides; 100-600 m. Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang [S Japan]