Ilex asprella

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ilex asprella, also known as rough-leaved holly or plum-leaved holly, is a deciduous shrub in the holly family native to Southeast Asia. It is one of the few hollies that lose their leaves each year and can grow up to about 3 meters tall. The plant forms a dense, branched shrub with long brown shoots and shorter green shoots with white spots.

Leaves are thin, ovate, about 4–5 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, with serrated edges. They have small glands on the back and noticeable veins. Petioles are 3–8 mm long.

Flowers are white and occur in clusters in the leaf axils. The species is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Male clusters have 2–5 small flowers, while female clusters have 4–6 flowers, each about 3 mm wide.

Fruits are black, round drupes about 4–5 mm in diameter, on stalks 2–3 cm long.

Ilex asprella grows best in tropical climates with rich, humus-filled soil, at low elevations roughly 400–1000 meters. It is found in parts of Luzon (the Philippines), southeastern China, and Taiwan.

Traditionally, the plant is used in Chinese medicine. The root is collected in winter, dried in daylight, and prepared either by cooking into soup or by crushing and applying to the skin.