Trees to 12 m tall. Peduncles, pedicels, sepals, and petals outside pubescent. Petiole 5-7 mm; leaf blade elliptic to oblong, 7-14 × 3-6 cm, thinly leathery to papery, glaucous when dry, glabrous, secondary veins 9-11 on each side of midvein, slender, and slightly prominent, reticulate veins prominent on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate to slightly obtuse, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences leaf-opposed; bracts ovate, puberulent. Pedicel 5-10 mm, with 1 or 2 bracteoles at base. Sepals broadly ovate, ca. 2 mm. Outer petals oblong-ovate to ovate, ca. 1 cm, apex acute; inner petals smaller than outer petals. Stamens ca. 1 mm; connectives apically acute. Carpel 1, cylindric, puberulent; ovules ca. 22, in 2 series. Fruiting carpel subglobose to ellipsoid, 2-4 × 1-3 cm, densely hispidulous when young, inconspicuously verruculose with age. Fl. Jan-Sep, fr. Sep-Dec.

The flowers of Alphonsea monogyna are fragrant and are used for perfumes. Its wood is hard and used in construction as supporting timber.

Alphonsea monogyna is listed as Vulnerable (VU A2c) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2010.3; http://www. iucnredlist.org; accessed on 8 Oct 2010).

● Forested slopes; 400-1200 m. Guangxi, Hainan, S Yunnan.