''Symplocos paniculata'', called Asiatic sweetleaf or sapphire-berry, is a species of tree in the family

Symplocaceae Symplocaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, including two genera, ''Symplocos ''Symplocos'' is a genus of flowering plants in the order Ericales. It contains about 300 species distributed in Asia and the Americas. Man ...

. It is native to all of eastern Asia and was introduced to the United States in around 1871. It is a tree reaching in favorable conditions, though it is often more shrub-like, and is used as an ornamental due to its visually striking blue fruit from which it derives its common name.

Description

The intensely blue fruit of the tree are relatively short-lived, as the fleshy berries are quickly eaten by birds. The foliage of the tree is neat and the flowers are often fragrant. The leaves have short petioles and vary in their ovoid shape, measuring up to in length and half as wide. The leaves bear some

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pla ...

s above and are far more pubescent on their veins beneath. The species blooms in early summer after leaves have developed. These whitish blooms are formed in lateral clusters up to long, with each hermaphroditic flower bearing five petals and thirty

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s, the latter of which give the flower clusters a fluffy appearance. The ovoid fruits of the tree most often bear a single seed. '' Symplocos coreana'' is a very similar species, possibly conspecific, only differing in its broader and coarsely serrated leaves that bear many hairs on both sides.

Uses

The fruit can be made into jam, although it may be difficult to obtain enough berries since the plants do not pollinate themselves. Traditional

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

healers use the bark as an

antidiarrhoeal An anti-diarrhoeal drug (or anti-diarrheal drug in American English) is any medication which provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Types * Electrolyte solutions, while not true antidiarrhoeals, are used to replace lost fluids and salts in ac ...

as it contains an antispasmodic similar to

cromakalim Cromakalim (INN) is a potassium channel-opening vasodilator. The active isomer is levcromakalim. It acts on ATP-sensitive potassium channels and so causes membrane hyperpolarization. It can be used to treat hypertension as it will relax vasc ...

. The bark is nontoxic below a dose of 8 milligrams per kilogram.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q3337300, from2=Q15314230, from3=Q10905707, from4=Q55840079

paniculata A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

Plants described in 1867 Ornamental trees Medicinal plants