Ternstroemia gymnanthera (Wight & Arn.) Bedd.

Japanese Cleyera; Sakaki

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Ternstroemia is an introduced evergreen shrub in the Pentaphylax family (Pentaphylacaceae). It is native to Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Alabama it is often planted as a screen or hedge and has been collected as an escape in the southern half of the state. Ternstroemia occurs in urban woodlands, around old homesites, along railroads, and along fence lines. It is an evergreen shrub reaching 10-30 feet in height. Young twigs and leaves are greenish or reddish in color and glabrous. The bark is smooth and dark gray in color. Leaves are thick and leathery, alternate, petiolate, obovate to elliptic in outline, entire, and glabrous. Flowers are axillary and solitary or in small clusters on recurved pedicels. Flowers are either bisexual or functionally male. Each flower has 5 persistent, triangular, yellowish sepals that have glandular toothed margins and 5 yellowish-white petals. The fruit is a blueish-red berry with 2-4 seed. Ternstroemia is often sold in garden centers as Japanese cleyera (Cleyera japonica Thunb.), a similar looking species in the same family. It is recommended as an alternative to redtip photinia (Photinia x fraseri) and Leyland cypress (X Cupressocyparis leylandii), species that have been over-used and are susceptible to a number of insect pests and diseases.—A. Diamond

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Not Native

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