Pyrenaria diospyricarpa Kurz

Only Pyrenaria diospyricarpa var. diospyricarpa occurs in China; P. diospyricarpa var. camelliiflora (Kurz) S. X. Yang occurs in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Trees 5-15 m tall. Year-old branchlets with ± persistent indumentum; current year branchlets densely grayish yellow pubescent and spreading villous. Petiole 0.6-1 cm, densely pubescent; leaf blade oblong to oblong-ovate, 7-15(-17) × 2.5-5.5 cm, papery, abaxially pale green, sparsely appressed pubescent, and densely spreading villous along midvein, adaxially dark green, sparsely pubescent when young but glabrescent, and gray pubescent along midvein, both surfaces yellowish when dry, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 8-10 on each side of midvein and raised on both surfaces, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin undulate-serrulate, apex shortly acuminate to acuminate. Flowers axillary, solitary, 2-2.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 3-5 mm, densely yellow spreading villous; bracteoles 2, green, leaflike, oblong or lanceolate, 1-2.5 × 0.3-0.7 cm. Sepals 5, persistent, green, leaflike, ovate, 0.5-1.5 cm, outside grayish yellow sericeous, inside glabrous. Petals 5 or 6, white, obovate, 1-1.4 cm, outside yellow sericeous, inside glabrous, basally connate for 2-3 mm. Stamens numerous, 6-8 mm, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate and adnate to petals. Ovary globose, ca. 3 mm in diam., densely flavescent velutinous, 5-loculed, apex slightly 5-lobed from carpels being incompletely connate; styles 5, distinct, ca. 5 mm, basally velutinous. Fruit drupaceous, indehiscent, long obovoid, 4-5 × 2.5-3 cm, 5-loculed with 2 seeds per locule, apex with a sunken hole with 5 protuberances; pericarp ca. 5 mm thick and fleshy when fresh, becoming brown, 1-2 mm thick, and leathery when dry. Seeds brown, laterally compressed, oblong, ca. 2 × 1 × 0.4 cm, shiny. Fl. May, fr. Sep-Nov. 2n = 30.

S Yunnan [Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].

Forests on hills, slopes, or in valleys; 1000-2000 m.

Pyrenaria brevisepala Hung T. Chang; P. burmanica T. K. Paul & Nayar; P. cheliensis Hu; P. garrettiana Craib; P. yunnanensis Hu; Sinopyrenaria cheliensis (Hu) Hu; S. garrettiana (Craib) Hu; S. yunnanensis (Hu) Hu; Stewartia longibracteata Hung T. Chang; S. yunnanensis Hung T. Chang.