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Chinese Elaeocarpus, Elaeocarpus

Scientific Name : Elaeocarpus chinensis (Gardner and Champ.) Hook. f. ex Benth.
Common Name : Chinese Elaeocarpus, Elaeocarpus
Chinese Name : 中華杜英、野杜英
Family : ELAEOCARPACEAE
Local distribution status : Native species

Anecdotes on plants

Origin Widely distributed in evergreen forests at 300-900 m above sea level in South-Central and Southeast China, and Vietnam.
Meanings of name The epithet "chinensis" means Chinese, and describes the Chinese Du Ying was born in China.
Application It is a source of a traditional Chinese medicine to mitigate the symptoms of emmeniopathy and traumatic injuries.
Domatia

Unlike animals, plants are sessile and susceptible to attacks. Under the intensive and endless selective pressure, plants have developed versatile defence systems to tackle their natural enemies. Domatia are types of modified leaf structures at the junction of midveins and lateral veins of abaxial leaves, with a purpose of maintaining the plant safe by hiring ‘bodyguards’ which are usually mites. The bodyguards conceal themselves under the domatia and quietly devour pests (e.g. thrips and white flies) that appear on the leaves.

Domatia are armed by many plants with multiple shapes. For example, the domatia of Terminalia catappa (Indian Almond) and Bischofia javanica (Autumn Maple) are pit-like. Not all but most of Elaeocarpus are equipped triangular-pocket-like domatia, such as Chinese Elaeocarpus, E. sylvestris (Woodland Elaeocarpus), E. decipiens (Common Elaeocarpus) and E. japonicus (Japanese Elaeocarpus).

The microscopic world is always amazing, veiling the fierce earth under its subtle appearance.

Traits for identification

Growing habit Evergreen tree.
Height To 7 m.
Stem Branchlets puberulous at first, glabrescent.
Leaves Simple leaves alternate, crowded at the current branchlets. Blade thin leathery, pubescent at first, glabrescent, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, apex acuminate, base rounded, rarely broadly cuneate, minutely crenate, abaxially densely black punctate, lateral veins 4-6 pairs, with observable domatia at the junction of the midvein and the lateral veins.
Flower Polygamous (male and bisexual flowers). Racemes axillary. Hermaphrodite flowers: sepals 4, petals 4, greenish white, stamens 8-10. Male flowers: sepals and petals as bisexual flowers, stamens 8-10, without pistillodes.
Fruit Drupes ellipsoid, turning black at maturity.
Flowering period May to June in Hong Kong.
Fruiting period October to November in Hong Kong.
Overview of <em>Elaeocarpus chinensis</em> (Gardner & Champ.) Hook. f. ex Benth..
Trunk of <em>Elaeocarpus chinensis</em> (Gardner & Champ.) Hook. f. ex Benth..
Branchlets puberulous at first, glabrescent.
Simple leaves alternate. Blade thin leathery, pubescent at first, glabrescent, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, apex acuminate, base rounded, rarely broadly cuneate, margin crenate.
Polygamous (male and bisexual flowers). Racemes axillary.
Drupes ellipsoid, turning black at maturity.
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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : 
https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=2624

Scientific names from other databases :
― Flora of China : Elaeocarpus chinensis (Gardner and Champion) J. D. Hooker ex Bentham 
― Plants of the World Online : Elaeocarpus chinensis (Gardner and Champ.) Hook.f. ex Benth.

Reference
  • eFloras. (2008). Elaeocarpus chinensis (Gardner & Champion) J. D. Hooker ex Bentham, Fl. Hongk. Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 19th July 2022, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200013520 
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2007). Terminalia catappa L. COMBRETACEAE. Retrieved 19th July 2022, from: https://www.doc-developpement-durable.org/file/Culture/Arbres-Fruitiers/FICHES_ARBRES/badamier/Terminalia%20catappa%20FAO.pdf  
  • Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Elaeocarpus chinensis (Gardner & Champ.) Hook. f. ex Benth. 中華杜英（野杜英）.Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 19th July 2022, from: https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=2624 
  • O’dowd, D. J., and Willson, M. F. (1989). Leaf domatia and mites on Australasian plants: ecological and evolutionary implications. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 37(3), 191–236. 
  • Pan, L., Yong, Y., Deng, Y., Lantvit, D. D., Ninh, T. N., Chai, H., Carcache de Blanco, E. J., Soejarto, D. D., Swanson, S. M., and Kinghorn, A. D. (2012). Isolation, Structure Elucidation, and Biological Evaluation of 16,23-Epoxycucurbitacin Constituents from Eleaocarpus chinensis. Journal of Natural Products, 75(3), 444–452. 
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2017). Elaeocarpus chinensis (Gardner & Champ.). Plant of the World Online. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 19th July 2022, from: https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:833794-1  
  • Zmarzty, S. (2001). Revision of Elaeocarpus (Elaeocarpaceae) Section Elaeocarpus in Southern India and Sri Lanka. Kew Bulletin, 56(2), 405. 
  • 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1989）。〈Elaeocarpus chinensis 中華杜英〉《中國植物誌》[網上版本]。於2022年7月19日擷取自：https://www.iplant.cn/frps/pdf/49(1)/022a.PDF
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