''Neolitsea'' is a genus of about 85 species of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s in the laurel family

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

. They range from Indo-Malaysia to East Asia to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The leaves are alternate, clustered, or verticillate, rarely subopposite. Species are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with separate male and female plants. The Australian species, of which there are three, are commonly known as bolly gums and are fairly common in the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s of the east. Many species of ''Neolitsea'' have been analysed for

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

s and their biological activity.

Selected species

*'' Neolitsea aciculata'' - a small tree; Japan, Taiwan *'' Neolitsea australiensis'' - Australia, Green bolly gum *'' Neolitsea cassia'' - Sri Lanka *'' Neolitsea cambodiana var. glabra'' synonym '' Neolitsea hongkongensis''- Hong Kong *'' Neolitsea chuii'' -tree up to 18m,

South China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

*''

Neolitsea daibuensis ''Neolitsea daibuensis'' is a species of plant in the family Lauraceae endemic to Taiwan. It is a small semi-deciduous tree that grows in the broad-leaved forests in southern Taiwan at altitudes of . It is threatened by habitat loss Habita ...

'' - a small tree; Taiwan *'' Neolitsea dealbata'' - Australia, tree up to 12m, Hairy-leaved bolly gum *'' Neolitsea fischeri'' - India *'' Neolitsea fuscata'' - Sri Lanka (unresolved name) *'' Neolitsea kedahense'' - Malaysia *'' Neolitsea mollissima'' - Malaysia *'' Neolitsea parvigemma'' - a small tree; Taiwan *'' Neolitsea sericea'' - tree up to 15m; Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China *'' Neolitsea vidalii'' - the Philippines

References

Lauraceae genera Dioecious plants Taxa named by George Bentham Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker {{Laurales-stub