清香木 qing xiang mu

Pistacia coccinea Collett & Hemsley.

Evergreen shrubs to small trees, 2-8 m tall. Petiole minutely pubescent; leaf blade paripinnately compound with 8-18 opposite leaflets; leaf rachis narrowly winged, grooved, gray, and minutely pubescent above; leaflet petiolule short; leaflet blade oblong or obovate-oblong, 1.3-3.5 × 0.8-1.5 cm or rarely larger, leathery, minutely pubescent on both sides along midrib, base oblique, broadly cuneate, margin entire and slightly revolute, apex rounded or usually mucronate, lateral veins impressed adaxially and prominent abaxially. Inflorescence axillary among leaves, mixed yellowish brown and red glandular pubescent; floral subtending bract ca. 1.5 mm, brown pubescent. Flowers sessile, purplish red. Male flowers with 2 or 3 oblong bracteoles, and 3-5 oblong-lanceolate membranous tepals, ca. 2 mm; stamens 5(-7), filaments short, anthers oblong with apiculate connective; pistillode reduced. Female flowers with 2-5 ovate-lanceolate bracteoles and 5 ovate-lanceolate membranous tepals, ca. 1.5 mm; ovary globose, ca. 0.7 mm in diam., glabrous, stig mas recurved. Drupe subglobose, 5-6 mm in diam. Fl. Mar- May, fr. Jun-Aug.

Hill and mountain forests on limestone, thickets; 500-2700 m. SW Guangxi, SW Guizhou, SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan [N Myanmar].

Aromatic compounds extracted from the leaves are used for the manufacture of incense and candles. The resin is used for medicinal purposes.