Product Code Database
Ilex latifolia ( tarajo holly or tarajo; Japanese: tarayō, Chinese language: 大叶冬青 dà yè dōngqīng) is a species of holly, native to southern Japan (Shizuoka Prefecture south to Kyūshū) and eastern and southern China (Jiangsu south to Fujian and west to Yunnan), growing in broadleaf forests at altitudes of 200–1,500 m.Yuanlin Flora: Ilex latifolia (in Chinese); google translationJapan Plants: Ilex latifolia (in Japanese); google translationPlants for a Future: Ilex latifolia
It is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 10–20 m tall with a trunk up to 60 cm diameter. The bark is dark brown, with a rough surface. The leaf are alternate, broad lanceolate to ovate-oblong, 8–24 cm long and 4–8 cm broad (among the largest of any species of holly), glossy dark green above, paler below, with a thick, leathery texture and serrated (but not spiny) margins. The are yellowish-green, with a four-lobed corolla, produced in late spring; it is plant sexuality, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The fruit is a drupe 7 mm diameter, ripening orange-red to dark red in winter, and containing four ; they are often produced in dense clusters on the stems.Japanese Treeflowers: Ilex latifoliaBotanic Japan: Ilex latifolia (in Japanese); google translationHuxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan .
Cultivation and uses
It is cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and temple gardens. The leaves may be infused to make tea ("bitter nail tea" kǔ dīng chá).
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