Litsea (Lauraceae) FMWJ13011

cubeba

Deciduous shrubs or small trees, 8-10 m tall, with alternate elliptic long tipped leaves to 11cm long. Which we collected seed of at Seo Me Ty in the mountains of northern Vietnam in 2007. The flowers are born in solitary umbels or in 4-6-flowered clusters, flowering before or with the leaves, February to March. Followed by glossy black fruit July to August. The flowers, leaves, and fruit walls are processed for citral and are used for their fragrance and medicinal properties. The fruit core contains 62% oil and is used medicinally. Best grown where it can be sheltered from severe cold in a well drained fertile soil, in full sun to light shade.