Sarcococca confusa Sealy

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Sarcococca confusa' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/sarcococca/sarcococca-confusa/). Accessed 2024-03-28.

Synonyms

  • S. humilis Hort., in part, not Stapf
  • S. ruscifolia var. chinensis Hort., in part, not (Franch.) Rehd. & Wils.

Glossary

ovary
Lowest part of the carpel containing the ovules; later developing into the fruit.
acuminate
Narrowing gradually to a point.
acute
Sharply pointed.
cuneate
Wedge-shaped.
lanceolate
Lance-shaped; broadest in middle tapering to point.
obtuse
Blunt.

References

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Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Sarcococca confusa' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/sarcococca/sarcococca-confusa/). Accessed 2024-03-28.

A densely branched evergreen shrub up to 6 ft high and as much through, with a single main stem and fibrous root-system; branchlets downy. Leaves elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate to elliptic-obovate, long-acute to acuminate, obtuse to cuneate at the base, mostly 114 to 2 in. long and 12 to 34 in. wide, but up to 258 in. long and 1 in. wide on vigorous shoots, upper surface dark green, lower surface light green; petioles up to 14 in. long. Flowers fragrant, crowded in short clusters of one to three males and one to three females, but sometimes reduced to one or two male or female flowers. Male flowers with four white sepals about 18 in. long, much exceeded by the filaments, which are two to three times as long. Female flowers 316 in. long, with four to six sepals. Ovary with two or three stigmas. Fruits black. Bot. Mag., t. 9449, as S. humilis.

A plant of unknown origin, in cultivation since 1916; it may have been raised from seeds collected by Wilson in W. China, but is not matched by any wild specimen. From all other species, S. confusa is distinguished by the female flowers having either two or three stigmas, all other species having consistently either two or three. Its bushy habit of growth distinguishes it from all other species except S. ruscifolia, and from that species it differs in its leaves, in the fruits becoming finally black, not red, and by the number of stigmas (constantly three in R. ruscifolia). The flowers are sweetly scented, and are borne from late December to February.