Ilex pedunculosa Miq.

Shrubs or trees, evergreen, 2-10(-15) m tall. Young branchlets brownish or castaneous, subterete, longitudinally angular, glabrous or minutely puberulent on nodes. Petiole 1.5-2.5 cm, slender, abaxially rugose, adaxially longitudinally sulcate; leaf blade adaxially castaneous-black, shiny when dry, ovate, oblong-elliptic, or elliptic, 4-12.5 × 2-3 cm, thinly leathery, both surfaces glabrous, midvein flat or slightly impressed adaxially, lateral veins obscure on both surfaces, base obtuse or rounded, margin entire or often obscurely serrate near apex, apex acuminate. Inflorescences: cymes solitary, axillary on current year’s branchlets; flowers 4- or 5-merous, white or yellow-white. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 2 or 3, 3-9-flowered; peduncles ca. 2.5 cm; secondary axis ca. 3 mm; pedicels 2-4 mm; bracteoles lanceolate, 1-1.5 mm, puberulent; calyx patelliform, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., 4- or 5-lobed, lobes deltoid, glabrous, apex acute; petals 4 or 5, ovate, 1.5-1.8 mm, basally slightly connate; stamens shorter than petals, anthers ovoid; rudimentary ovary ovoid. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 1(or 2), 1(-3)-flowered; pedicels thinly elongated, 4-4.5 cm; bracteoles 2, median, subulate; calyx ca. 3 mm in diam., 4- or 5-lobed, lobes ciliate; corolla ca. 5 mm in diam., petals 4 or 5, ovate, ca. 2 mm; staminodes shorter than petals, sterile anthers ovoid; ovary broadly conical, ca. 2 mm in diam., stigma mammilliform. Fruit red or orange, globose, 7-8 mm in diam.; fruiting pedicel of 1-fruited cymes 2.5-4(-6) cm; peduncles of 1-3-fruited cymes ca. 4.5 cm, fruiting pedicels 1.5-2 cm; lobes of persistent calyx deltoid, ciliate; persistent stigma thickly discoid, convex; pyrenes 4-6, ellipsoidal, ca. 6 mm, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., abaxially smooth, longitudinally 1-striate, endocarp leathery. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Nov. 2n = 120*.

S Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, S Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, C and W Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan].

Broad-leaved woods, thickets, margins of woods on mountains; (900-)1200-1900(-3000) m.

Ilex impressivena Yamamoto; I. morii Yamamoto; I. pedunculosa f. aurantiaca (Koidzumi) Ohwi; I. pedunculosa var. aurantiaca Koidzumi; I. pedunculosa f. continentalis Loesener; I. pedunculosa var. continentalis (Loesener) Bean; I. purpurea Hasskarl var. leveilleana Loesener.