Ehretia dicksonii Hance

Planted as an ornamental tree.

Plants with abaxially glabrous, shiny leaves have been recognized as Ehretia macrophylla Wallich var. glabrescens (Nakai) Y. L. Liu (Bull. Bot. Lab. N.E. Forest. Inst., Harbin 9: 71. 1980) [E. dicksonii Hance var. glabrescens Nakai (J. Arnold Arbor. 5: 40. 1924) or E. dicksonii var. tilioides I. M. Johnston (J. Arnold Arbor. 32: 101. 1951)] and occur in thickets and forests at 100-1700 m in Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, and Xizang.

Trees ca. 15 m tall; bark gray-brown, fissured; branches brown; branchlets light brown, pubescent. Petiole 1-4 cm, pubescent; leaf blade broadly elliptic, elliptic, ovate, or obovate, 8-25 × 4-15 cm, abaxially densely and minutely hispid, hairs discoid at base, extremely scabrous, adaxially densely pubescent, base cuneate or rotund, margin serrate, apex acute. Cymes terminal, corymbose or paniculate, 6-9 cm wide, bracteate or not; bracts linear, ca. 5 mm. Flowers sessile or nearly so. Calyx 3.5-4.5 mm, parted nearly to base; lobes oblong or ovate, pubescent. Corolla white to pale yellow, tubular-campanulate, fragrant, 8-10 mm, base ca. 2 mm wide; throat 6-7 mm wide; lobes oblong, 3-4 mm, shorter than tube. Stamens exserted from corolla; filaments 3-4.5 mm; anthers 1.5-2 mm. Style 6-9 mm, glabrous, rarely appressed pubescent, branches 1-1.5 mm. Drupes yellow, subglobose, 1-1.5 cm in diam.; endocarp divided at maturity into 2 2-seeded pyrenes. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jun-Jul. 2n = 40*.

Fujian, S Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, S Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, Japan, Nepal, Vietnam]

Open forests on slopes, shaded moist hillsides; 100-2300 m.

Ehretia dicksonii var. tomentosa Nakai; E. macrophylla Wallich var. tomentosa Gagnepain & Courchet.

Ehretia dicksonii is a tree that is native to Asia and cultivated as an ornamental plant.

It grows to 15 metres and has leaves that are 8–25 cm long and 4–15 cm wide. These are obovate, ovate or elliptic in shape and rough to the touch. The bases are cuneate or rounded, the tips pointed and the edges serrate. It has white or pale yellow flowers that appear in terminal cymes. These are followed by yellow fruits that are between 1 and 1.5 cm in diameter.

The species occurs in open forests in Japan, China, Taiwan, Bhutan, Nepal and Vietnam.