Idesia polycarpa

Wonder tree

SPECIES

1. KingdomPlantae
2. PhylumTracheophyta
3. ClassMagnoliopsida
4. OrderMalpighiales
5. FamilySalicaceae

Native toChina South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan

Observations1,052

Trees, 8-21 m tall; bark grayish, not flaking; branchlets sparsely pubescent or glabrous. Petiole reddish, usually long, (4-)5-15 cm or more, glabrous, base slightly dilated; leaf blade deep green adaxially, broadly ovate, (6-)8-16(-20) × (4-)7-15(-20) cm, thinly leathery, abaxially pruinose, with a small dense patch of hairs at extreme base, elsewhere glabrous, sparsely hairy along veins or pubescent throughout, hairs (except in basal patch) mostly spreading, short, drying whitish or yellowish; adaxially usually glabrous, rarely sparsely hairy along midvein and main veins or throughout, lateral veins ca. 6 pairs, blade usually 5(-7)-veined from base, base cordate, often deeply so, less often rounded, margin serrate, usually coarsely so, apex gradually or more abruptly acuminate. Panicles (13-)20-30 cm; rachis sparsely to more densely pubescent. Flowers unisexual, yellowish green; pedicels 1-1.5 cm, densely pubescent, hairs appressed, yellowish brown, short; bracts lanceolate, 3-10 mm, reducing in size toward apex of rachis, papery, toothed or lobed. Staminate flowers: slightly larger than pistillate ones, 1.2-1.6 cm in diam.; sepals 5-6 × 2-3 mm, ovate to elliptic or slightly obov