Opa Loureiro, nom. rej.

Shrubs or small trees, evergreen. Leaves simple, shortly petiolate, leathery, venation camptodromous, margin serrate or entire; stipules caducous, subulate. Inflorescences in terminal racemes or panicles. Hypanthium campanulate to tubular. Sepals 5, erect or reflexed. Petals 5, white or pink, base shortly clawed. Stamens 15–20. Ovary inferior, 2-loculed, with 2 erect ovules per locule; styles 2 or 3, connate at base. Pome drupe-like, purplish black or bluish, subglobose, succulent, with early caducous sepals leaving an annular ring; seeds 1 or 2, subglobose, large, seed coat thin, cotyledons thickened, plano-convex or semiglobose.

Rhaphiolepis jiulongjiangensis P. C. Huang & K. M. Li (J. Nanjing Inst. Forest. 13(4): 85. 1989), described from Fujian (Hua'an Xian), requires further study. We are unable to treat it in this account because we have seen no specimens.

About 15 species: E Asia; seven species (three endemic) in China.

(Authors: Gu Cuizhi (Ku Tsue-chih); Stephen A. Spongberg)