''Ilex rotunda'', commonly called the Kurogane holly, is an evergreen tree in the holly family (

Aquifoliaceae ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

). It is native to east Asia, where it is found in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.''Ilex rotunda''
(in Japanese), Flora of Mikawa Its natural habitat is in evergreen broadleaf forests, often in sunny areas such forest edges or on mountain slopes. It has spineless leathery leaves and clusters of bright-red berries. It reaches 18 m at maturity (although 20 m is also reported). The tree blooms from May to June, and the seeds become ripe from October to December. The plants 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 ...

. The fruits contain

flavonols Flavonols are a class of flavonoids that have the 3-hydroxyflavone backbone (IUPAC name : 3-hydroxy-2-phenylchromen-4-one). Their diversity stems from the different positions of the phenols, phenolic hydroxyl, -OH groups. They are distinct from f ...

. Kurogane holly was first described in 1784 by

Carl Peter Thunberg Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Swedish naturalist and an "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus. After studying under Linnaeus at Uppsala Un ...

, from species growing in Japan. In Japan, it is commonly planted garden and street tree. It was first introduced to gardens of the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

through collections sent by

Robert Fortune Robert Fortune (16 September 1812 – 13 April 1880) was a Scottish botanist, plant hunter and traveller, best known for introducing around 250 new ornamental plants, mainly from China, but also Japan, into the gardens of Britain, Australia, a ...

. In Japan, kurogane holly is one of the ''

hibakujumoku ''Hibakujumoku'' ( ja, 被爆樹木; also called survivor tree or A-bombed tree in English) is a Japanese term for a tree that survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The term is from ja, 被爆, hibaku, bombed, A-bomb ...

'' trees. It is also the official tree of several Japanese municipalities. File:Ilex rotunda.jpg, Mature flowers

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q844306 rotunda Plants described in 1784 Flora of China Flora of Eastern Asia Flora of Vietnam