''Polyspora axillaris'' is a species of evergreen tree or shrub that can grow up to 9 m tall. It has been given the name fried egg plant for its white and yellow flower. ''P. axillaris'' is found in southern China, including

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

. Is also grows in the wild in Taiwan and Vietnam, and is a garden tree all over the world. While earlier grouped under '' Gordonia'', the genus ''Polyspora'' has been found to be not closely related to the North American species, thus transferring the species to its own genus.

Description

''Polyspora axillaris'' grows on hillsides, and is adapted to holding on to slopes while being exposed to rain and storms. Its brown bark peels off in rather large smooth pieces. The fruit superficially resembles the green part of an

acorn The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...

. The flowers are rather big, with five white petals, and many yellow

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s. They are fragrant and attract bees and butterflies. Some flowers grow in the leaf axils, leading to its scientific name, ''P. axillaris''. The flower will fall off the tree before wilting.

Distribution

''Polyspora axillaris'' is normally found in forests and thickets at elevations of 100 – 800 m, but has been found at elevations up to 2300 m. It occurs in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

, Hainan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, it is common on hillsides, such as those of

Lion Rock Lion Rock, or less formally Lion Rock Hill, is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, between Kowloon Tong of Kowloon and Tai Wai of the New Territories, and is high. The peak consists of granite covered sparsely by shru ...

Gallery

File:Polyspora axillaris 3675.JPG, ''Polyspora axillaris'' in its natural habitat File:Polyspora axillaris fruit.jpg, Fruit File:Polyspora_axillaris_growth.jpg, Natural growth form File:Gordonia axillaris in Auckland Botanic Gardens 02.jpg, Cultivated specimen

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17436758 Theaceae Trees of Hong Kong