''Skimmia'' is a genus of four species of

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

shrubs and small trees in the rue family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Der ...

, all native to warm

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions of Asia. The leaves are clustered at the ends of the shoots, simple,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...

, 6–21 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, with a smooth margin. The flowers are in dense

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

clusters, each flower small, 6–15 mm diameter, with 4-7 petals. The fruit is red to black, 6–12 mm diameter, a fleshy

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kerne ...

containing a single seed. All parts of the plant have a pungent aroma when crushed.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan . The

botanical name A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the '' Inte ...

''Skimmia'' is a Latinization of ''shikimi'' (シキミ, 樒), which is the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

name for ''

Illicium religiosum ''Illicium anisatum'', with common names Japanese star anise, Aniseed tree, and sacred Anise tree, known in Japan as , is a tree closely related to the Chinese star anise (''Illicium verum)''. Since it is highly toxic, the fruit is not edible; i ...

'' as well as an element in ''miyama shikimi'' (ミヤマシキミ, 深山樒), the Japanese name for ''Skimmia japonica''. ;Species and subspeciesPlants of the World Online
/ref> *''

Skimmia anquetilia ''Skimmia anquetilia'' is a species of shrub that is cultivated for its decorative fruits and bright pink flowers. It is grown mainly in gardens. It can tolerate frost. Several cultivars were created from this species. It is native to the Himalaya ...

'' N.P.Taylor & Airy Shaw. Western Himalaya to Afghanistan. Shrub to 2 m. *''

Skimmia arborescens ''Skimmia arborescens'' is a small tree or shrub. It is grown as an ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space ...

'' T.Anderson ex Gamble. Eastern Himalaya to southeast Asia. Shrub or small tree to 15 m. *''

Skimmia japonica ''Skimmia japonica'', the Japanese skimmia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Growing to tall and wide, it is a rounded evergreen shrub with glossy, leathery leaves. It is wid ...

'' Thunb. Japan, China. Shrub to 7 m. **''Skimmia japonica'' subsp. ''distincte-venulosa'' (Hayata) T.C.Ho **''Skimmia japonica'' var. ''lutchuensis'' (Nakai) T.Yamaz. **''Skimmia japonica'' subsp. ''reevesiana'' (Fortune) N.P.Taylor & Airy Shaw *''

Skimmia laureola ''Skimmia laureola'' is a species of shrub grown as an ornamental plant. The leaves are edible when cooked. The leaves give an aromatic smell when crushed. It produces white flowers that develop into small round red berries. The berries are eaten ...

'' (DC.) Decne. Nepal to Vietnam and China. Shrub or small tree to 13 m. **''Skimmia laureola'' subsp. ''lancasteri'' N.P.Taylor **''Skimmia laureola'' subsp. ''multinervia'' (C.C.Huang) N.P.Taylor & Airy Shaw Skimmias are fed on by aphids, Horse Chestnut Scale, Garden Leafhopper, and Southern Red Mite.

Cultivation

Skimmias are grown as garden plants for their foliage, flowers, and showy red fruits. They are grown in shade, with moist, well-drained, humus-rich soils. They are tolerant of both drought and air pollution. A large number of

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s have been selected for garden use: *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Emerald King' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Fragrans' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Godrie's Dwarf' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Keessen' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Kew White' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Nymans' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Rubella' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Rubinetta' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Ruby Dome' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Wanto' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'White Gerpa' *''Skimmia japonica'' 'Veitchii' *''Skimmia japonica'' subsp. ''reevesiana'' 'Ruby King' *'' Skimmia × confusa'' 'Kew Green' (''S. anquetilia'' × ''S. japonica'')

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q158193 Zanthoxyloideae genera