Skimmia laureola
(DC.) Sieb. & Zucc. ex Walpers, Reg. Bot. Syst. 5: 405. 1846;
Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 1: 499. 1875, p.p. Limonia laureola DC., Prodr. 1: 536. 1824.
Low scandent or erect shrubs or small trees, 0.5 - 13 m high, strongly aromatic;
branches and branchlets terate, rather strong with green or brownish smooth or faintly
fissured bark. Leaves oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic to elliptic-oblong, narrowly
cuneate at base, acute or abruptly acuminate at apex, acumen 5 -
10 mm long, bluntish
at tip, entire along margins, revolute when dry, variable in size, deep green, glabrous;
midnerve keeled, rather prominently raised beneath, puberulent above, glabrous beneath; secondary nerves 7 -
20 pairs, conspicuous or obscure. Inflorescences terminal,
paniculate, 2 -
4 cm long; peduncle branching at base or occasionally not, densely or few
flowered. Flowers functionally unisexual or bisexual, cream or greenish-white, spreading, sweet-scented; bracts persistent, deltoid or suborbicular, subacute, ca 1 mm long,
ciliate. Sepals 5, connate below, ovate or suborbicular, obtuse, ca 1 mm long, ciliate.
Petals 5, oblong-lanceolate or oblong-ovate, obtuse at apex, clawed, 4 - 5 mm long,
glabrous. Stamens 5; filaments subulate, 3 - 4 mm long; anthers ellipsoid, 0.8 - 1 mm long, reduced to staminodes in female flowers. Disk lobulate, ca 0.5 mm high, ca 1 mm
broad, glabrous. Ovary subglobose, 2 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, glandular-punctate,
glabrous, 3 - 5-locular, ovule 1 in each locule; style very short and thick; stigma capitate,
3 or more lobed, punctate. Drupes subglobose or oblong-elliptic, black, 5 - 50 per
infrutescence with usually 3, 1-seeded stones; endocarp adherent, cartilaginous, epicarp
subwoody, reticulate, glabrous; seeds ovoid, ca 5 mm long, ca 3 mm across, cream-white.
KEY TO THE SUBSPECIES
| 1a. Low creeping shrubs less than a meter high, older stems with adventitious roots; leaves 4 - 10.5 x 1.5 - 3.5 cm, narrowly elliptic to elliptic-oblong; secondary nerves often indistinct | 3.1. laureola |
| b. Erect shrubs or small trees, 3 - 13 m high, older stems not rooting; leaves (8-) 15.5 - 24 x 4.5 - 6 cm, mostly oblanceolate; secondary nerves 10 - 20 pairs, prominent | 3.2. multinervia |
