Eurya japonica Thunb.

Eurya species are evergreen shrubs or trees. Bark dark brown, branches terete or striate. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate-ovate to oblanceolate-oblong, base acute to cuneate, margins crenate-serrate or serrulate, apex acute to obtuse, coriaceous, green glabrous above, glabrous or sparsely pubescent beneath, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, petiole sessile or subsessile, exstipulate. Inflorescence axillary, solitary or in fascicles. Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic, pedicellate, bracteate, bracteolate, sepals 5 or rarely 6, subequal, imbricate, ovate-orbicular, base free or slightly connate, glabrous or pubescent outside, persistent, petals 5 rarely up to 8, imbricate, obovate-elliptic, base slightly connate, white, pale yellow or pinkish, base slightly connate. Male flowers: Stamens 5-30 in 1 series, unequal, base free or connate, sometimes adnate to petals, filaments filiform, anthers dorsifixed, 2 loculed, apiculate. Female flowers: Ovary superior, globose, 2-5 locular, axile placentation, ovules many in each locule, style 2-5, free or connate, stigma 2-5 fid. Fruit berry, globose-ovoid, usually indehiscent with persistent style. Seeds numerous, small, pitted, testa shiny, tubercled, reticulate, fleshy endosperm, dark brown or black.

Shrub

Flowering class: Dicot Habit: Shrub to Small Tree

Flowering and fruiting: March-December

Eurya species flowers dioecious i.e., have staminate male flowers on one plant, and pistillate female flowers on another plant. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: June—December.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Evergreen shrubs or small trees, about 2-4 m tall. Bark brown, branches terete, striate, branchlets and apical buds, glabrous. Leaves simple, alternate, about 3-6.5 x 1-3 cm across, oblanceolate-elliptic to elliptic-oblong, base acute to cuneate, margins bluntly serrulate at two-third towards the apex, apex subacute to acuminate, coriaceous, green glabrous above, paler beneath, midrib slightly impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins faint about 10-13 on the either side of the midrib, petiole glabrous, about 2-3 mm across, exstipulate. Inflorescence axillary, solitary or 2-3 in fascicles. Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic, greenish white or pale yellow, about 4 mm across, pedicel pubescent, about 2-3 mm long, bracteoles 2, ovate-elliptic, apex acute, glabrous inside, pubescent outside, at the base of the calyx, about 1-1.5 mm long, sepals 5, subequal, imbricate, ovate-orbicular, base free or slightly connate, pubescent outside, persistent, about 2-2.5 mm long, petals 5, imbricate, obovate-elliptic, base slightly connate, white, pale yellow base slightly connate, about 4.5-5 x 2-3.5 mm long. Male flowers: Stamens 13-17 in 1 series, unequal, base free or connate, sometimes adnate to petals, filaments terete, about 1 mm long, anthers dorsifixed, 2 loculed, about 1mm long, apiculate, pistillode glabrous. Female flowers: Bracteoles, sepals and petals slightly smaller than male flowers, rarely staminodes present, ovary superior, globose, 3 locular, axile placentation, ovules many in each locule, style 3, about 0.8 mm long, stigma 3 fid. Fruit berry, globose-ovoid, about 4-5 mm across, bluish black when ripe, usually indehiscent with persistent style. Seeds numerous, about 1 mm across, pitted, testa shiny, tubercled, reticulate, fleshy endosperm, dark brown.

Eurya species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Notes: Shola Forests

Margins of grasslands and shola forests

Tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, altitude 1000-2300 m.

Forests, thickets, hill slopes

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in folk medicine.