Ilex metabaptista Loes. ex Diels

Shrubs or trees, evergreen, 4-5 m tall. Current year’s branchlets castaneous, longitudinally angular and sulcate, hirsute or subglabrous; second to third year’s branchlets gray, terete, longitudinally striate and lenticels obscure; leaf scars raised, semicircular; terminal buds conical-lanceolate, densely pilose. Stipules deltoid, minute, pilose; petiole 3-8 mm, abaxially rounded, adaxially pilose, sulcate, narrowly winged by decurrent leaf base; leaf blade lanceolate or oblanceolate, 3-6(-8) × 0.5-1.4 cm, subleathery, both surfaces pilose when young, glabrescent, or adaxially glabrous and midvein pilose, midvein impressed adaxially, lateral veins 6-8 pairs, slightly raised abaxially, obscure adaxially, anastomosing near margin, pilose abaxially, reticulate veins obscure, base acute or cuneate, margin subentire, often 1- or 2-serrulate near apex, recurved when dry, apex acute or obtuse, mucronate. Inflorescences: cymes, fasciculate, axillary on second year’s branchlets, pilose or minutely puberulent; basal scales of flower buds persistent, broadly deltoid, pilose. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 2, 3-flowered; peduncles 3-6 mm; pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm; bracteoles 1, basal, or absent; flowers white, 5- or 6-merous; calyx cupular, ca. 3 mm in diam., pilose or minutely puberulent, deeply 5- or 6-lobed, lobes deltoid-ovate, ciliate; corolla rotate, 5-6 mm in diam., petals ovate-oblong, ca. 2 mm; stamens slightly shorter than petals, anthers oblong; rudimentary ovary pulvinate or subglobose, apex acute or mucronate. Female inflorescences: cymes of order 1(or 2), 1(-3)-flowered; pedicels 4-5 mm, densely pilose or minutely puberulent; bracteoles 2, submedian, pilose; peduncles of cymes 5-6 mm; pedicels ca. 3 mm; flowers 5-8-merous; calyx cyathiform, 3-4 mm in diam., lobes deltoid, pilose, ciliate; corolla ca. 6 mm in diam., petals oblong, ca. 3 mm, basally slightly connate; staminodes ca. 2/3 as long as petals, sterile anthers sagittate; ovary ovoid, style evident, stigma capitate, pubescent. Fruit red, ovoid-ellipsoidal, 5-6 mm, 4-5 mm in diam.; persistent calyx explanate or patelliform, ca. 4 mm in diam., pilose; persistent stigma capitate; pyrenes 5-8, ellipsoidal, 3.5-4 mm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., ends pointed, abaxially and laterally longitudinally striate and sulcate, endocarp leathery. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jul-Oct.

Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, NE Yunnan.

● Forests, stream banks, roadsides on mountains, shores, mountain slopes; 300-1200 m.