Ilex excelsa

Family: Aquifoliaceae

What it is like

A medium-sized tree. It grows 10 m tall. The leaves are oval or sword shaped. They taper to a point. They are leathery. The flowers are whitish. They are crowded in flat topped flower arrangements. The fruit is fleshy with a hard covering around the seed. They are round and red. They are 5 mm across.

There are about 400 Ilex species.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. In Nepal it grows between 600-2000 m altitude. It grows in mixed forest. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Nepal, Northeastern India

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Ni syaul, Puwale, Puwanle

Synonyms

Cassine excelsa Wall.; Ilex doniana DC.; Ilex excelsa (Wall.) Hook.f.; Ilex illiptica D.Don; Ilex exsulca Wall.; Ilex nepalensis Sprengel; Ilex rotunda Thunb.; Ilex umbellulata Loeserner;