Neillia thyrsiflora D. Don

Shrubs erect, to 2 m tall. Branchlets red-brown, angled, glabrous to slightly pubescent; buds red-brown, ovoid, with 2 or 3 scales, apex obtuse; often 2 or 3 buds superposed in axils of flowering branches. Stipules ovate-lanceolate, ca. 6 mm, subglabrous, margin remotely serrate, apex acute; petiole 1–1.5 cm, subglabrous; leaf blade ovate to ovate-elliptic, 6–8.5 × 4–6 cm, abaxially sparsely pubescent on veins or subglabrous, base rounded or subcordate, margin usually 3-parted, rarely with 3–5 equal lobes, sharply doubly serrate, apex long acuminate. Panicle 6–15.5 cm in diam., densely or laxly branched, usually many flowered; peduncle and pedicels slightly pubescent. Flowers ca. 4 mm in diam.; pedicel ca. 3 mm. Hypanthium campanulate, 2–3 mm, abaxially pubescent. Sepals triangular, equaling hypanthium, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, margin entire, apex caudate. Petals white, obovate, ca. 2 mm. Stamens 10–15. Ovary cylindric, glabrous or only pubescent on sutures, or wholly pubescent; ovules (8–)10–12. Follicles cylindric. Seeds ovoid. Fl. Jul, fr. Sep–Oct.

Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim, N Vietnam].

Dense forests, open forests, forest margins in valleys, scrub; 1000--3000 m.

Flowering in July; fruiting from September to October.

Neillia thyrsiflora var. thyrsiflora is close relative of Neillia thyrsiflora var. tunkinensis, but differs from the latter in its panicle densely branched (vs. few branched), ovary pubescent only on sutures (vs. wholly pubescent).

Neillia thyrsiflora is occurring in NW Yunnan of China, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sikkim.

Phylogeny of the tribe Neillieae (Rosaceae), which comprises Neillia, Stephanandra, and Physocarpus, was reconstructed based on nucleotide sequences of several regions of cpDNA, the ITS and ETS regions of rDNA, and the second intron of LEAFY (Oh and Potter, 2005). Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Neillia thyrsiflora as sister to the N. affinis-N. gracilis clade with support in separate analyses of the cpDNA and LEAFY data and the combined analyses. The paniculate inflorescence is a possible synapomorphy that can define the clade.

Shrubs erect, to 2 m tall. Branchlets red-brown, angled, glabrous to slightly pubescent; buds red-brown, ovoid, with 2 or 3 scales, apex obtuse; often 2 or 3 buds superposed in axils of flowering branches. Stipules ovate-lanceolate, ca. 6 mm, subglabrous, margin remotely serrate, apex acute; petiole 1-1.5 cm, subglabrous; leaf blade ovate to ovate-elliptic, 6-8.5 cm long, 4-6 cm wide, abaxially sparsely pubescent on veins or subglabrous, base rounded or subcordate, margin usually 3-parted, rarely with 3-5 equal lobes, sharply doubly serrate, apex long acuminate. Panicle 6-15.5 cm in diameter, densely or laxly branched, usually many flowered; peduncle and pedicels slightly pubescent. Flowers ca. 4 mm in diameter; pedicel ca. 3 mm. Hypanthium campanulate, 2-3 mm, abaxially pubescent. Sepals triangular, equaling hypanthium, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, margin entire, apex caudate. Petals white, obovate, ca. 2 mm. Stamens 10-15. Ovary cylindric, glabrous or only pubescent on sutures, or wholly pubescent; ovules 10-12. Follicles cylindric. Seeds ovoid.

Growing in scrub; 1000-3000 m.