Evergreen shrubs or small trees, monoecious. Leaves simple, alternate, exstipulate,
coriaceous, glossy, usually adaxially decurrent into petioles at the extreme base, entire along
margins (in Indian species), penninerved or weakly (3 -) 5-nerved at base (basal pair of lateral
nerves frequently slightly stronger than the subsequent pairs and ascending up to 90% way up
the lamina); lateral nerves slender, brochidodromous; nervules usually faint; petioles channelled
above. Inflorescences axillary, either more or less compact clusters or erect spikes, up to 2.5 cm
long, unisexual or bisexual, the uppermost pseudo-terminal; flowers solitary in each bract, male
and female flowers either in same inflorescence with male towards apex and females at base or
in different glomerules with the females at the base of the raceme, with a solitary male at top,
apetalous; bracts 2 in male but several in female flowers. Male flowers: sessile or shortly
pedicellate, small; 2-bracteate and bracteolate or ebracteolate; sepals 4 - 6, in 2 series, imbricate,
similar to bracteoles, persistent; petals absent; stamens 4 - 6, opposite to sepals, free; filaments
inserted on receptacle around vestiges of pistillode, exserted; anthers oblong, introrse, 2-loculed,
versatile, dehiscing longitudinally; pistillode urn-shaped or cupular. Female flowers: sessile or
shortly pedicellate, small, bracteolate or ebracteolate; sepals 4 - 6, often indistinguishable from
the bracteoles, imbricate; ovary bi- or tricarpellary, 2 or 3-locular; locules biovulate; styles 2 or
3, connate below into a column, free, persistent. Fruits baccate, indehiscent, fleshy or somewhat
dry; endocarp bony; seeds 1 or 2 per fruit, globose or hemispherical; testa crustaceous, brownish
or black; albumen fleshy; cotyledons thick, flat.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, through Indian subcontinent to Central China and Sri Lanka,
extending to South-east Asia, up to Philippine Islands, about 11 species; 4 species in India.
Notes.
Species of this genus are sometimes difficult to separate from each other because
of the very narrow differences. It was not possible to separate S. brevifolia and S. zeylanica from S. coriacea due to too many intermediate characters and therefore these species are united
herein.
In Index Nominum Genericorum, S. pruniformis Lindl. is given as the type species of the
genus Sarcococca Lindl. Since the name S. pruniformis is illegitimate being composed of two
species, S. saligna and S. coriacea, both of which antedate S. pruniformis, Sealy (l. c. 118. 1986)
proposes S. coriacea(Hook.) Sweet as the type species of the genus Sarcococca Lindl.
Literature.
SEALY, J. R. 1986. A revision of the genus Sarcococca (Buxaceae). Bot. J. Linn. Soc.
92: 117 - 159, ff. 1-7.
4 a. Leaves 1.5 - 4 cm broad; male flowers ebracteate; male sepals 3 – 4.5 mm long; filaments 6 – 8.5 mm long; female flowers 7 - 9 mm long with 3 - 4 pairs of separated bracteoles; seeds ca 8 x 5 mm
b. Leaves 1 –-2.5 cm broad; male flowers usually bracteolate; male sepals 2.5 – 3.5 mm long;
filaments 4 – 7 mm long; female flowers 4 - 6 mm long with (3 -) 4 or 5 (- 6) pairs of imbricating
bracteoles; seeds ca 6 x 4 mm
