''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)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

. 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 is the nut (fruit), nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'', ''Notholithocarpus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), en ...

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

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

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 ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

, 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 List of mountains, peaks and hills in Hong Kong, 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 ...

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 axillaris Trees of Hong Kong