Lindera nacusua

Family: Lauraceae

What it is like

An evergreen shrub or tree. It grows 2-10 m tall. The trunk is 10-15 cm across. The bark is grey and has splits along it. The leaves are alternate. Flowers are separately male and female and are in umbels in the axils of leaves. They are yellow. The fruit is a flattened round shape and red at maturity. They are 1 cm long.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests and in valleys and on mountain slopes. It grows between 700-2,500 m above sea level. It grows in Sichuan and Yunnan in China.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit are used as a spice.

Edible parts

Fruit - spice

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Liendan doi, Rihujiao

Synonyms

Laurus nacusua D. Don; Lindera bifaria (Nees) Hosseus; Lindera bifaria (Nees) Benth. ex Hook.f.; and others