Meliosma rhoifolia
Maxim.
Mountain pork
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(c) 羅忠良, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by 羅忠良
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) 博甫, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A medium sized tree. It grows 10 m high. The leaves have an odd number of leaflets. The leaf stalks are fattened at the base. The leaflets are leathery and vary in size but can be 3-15 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They are shiny above and pale underneath. There are 11-13 veins on each side of the leaf. The flowers are in groups at the ends of branches. They have rusty soft hairs but these fall off. The fruit is round and 4-5 mm across.
Edible Uses
The young shoots are eaten, and the leaves are also edible.
Traditional Uses
The young shoots are eaten.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a subtropical plant. In Taiwan it grows in forests between 300-1,800 m altitude in the north of the island.
Where It Grows
Asia, China, Indochina, Japan, Laos, Ryukyu, SE Asia, Taiwan,
Notes
They are also put in the Meliosmaceae family.
References (2)
- Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 526
- Kuo, W. H. J., (Ed.) Taiwan's Ethnobotanical Database (1900-2000), http://tk.agron.ntu.edu.tw/ethnobot/DB1.htm
