Vasilis Teodoridis:
Rhamnaceae | Rhamnus
18. Rhamnus napalensis (Wallich) M. A. Lawson in J. D. Hooker; Fl. Brit. India. 1: 640. 1875.
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Ceanothus napalensis Wallich in Roxburgh; Fl. Ind. 2: 375. 1824 [napalansis]; Celastrus tristis H. Léveillé; Rhamnus paniculiflora C. K. Schneider.
Shrubs erect or scandent; rarely trees; deciduous; dioecious; unarmed. Young branches puberulent; glabrescent; older branches with numerous conspicuous lenticels. Leaves alternate; petiole 1.3-2 cm; glabrous; leaf blade adaxially deep green; broadly elliptic or elliptic-oblong; 6-17(-20) x 3-8.5 cm; papery or subleathery; abaxially with clustered hairy vein axils; adaxially glabrous; lateral veins 5-9 pairs; major veins ± prominent abaxially; impressed adaxially; base rounded; margin crenate or obtusely serrate; slightly revolute; apex rounded; shortly acuminate; or acuminate. Flowers unisexual; 5-merous; in axillary cymose racemes or branched cymose panicles to 12 cm; rachis puberulent; bracts leaflike; to 5 cm. Sepals triangular; ca. 1.5 mm; puberulent; apex acute. Petals deeply cucullate; equaling stamens or slightly shorter; base clawed; apex obtuse or emarginate. Disk circular; thin; glabrous. Female flowers with caducous petals; stamens rudimentary; ovary globose; 3-loculed; style 3-fid or cleft to half. Drupe reddish purple when young; purplish black at maturity; obovoid-globose; 5-6 mm in diam.; with persistent calyx tube at base; with 3 stones. Seeds abaxially with margined furrow extending over nearly whole length. Fl. May-Sep; fr. Aug-Nov.
Sparse or dense forests; thickets; below 1800 m. Fujian; Guangdong; Guangxi; Guizhou; Hubei; Hunan; Jiangxi; Xizang; Yunnan; Zhejiang [Bhutan; India; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; Thailand].
The leaves of this species often turn gray-black when dry. In Zhejiang and Fujian; the leaves are often used for dyeing tissues; in Jiangxi; the plant is used for making paper. The fruit and leaves are used medicinally.