Maesa manipurensis - Manipur Wild Berry

Manipur Wild Berry is a shrub 1.2-3 m tall. Branchlets are glandular granulose, early becoming hairless, shallowly channeled when young, cylindric with ridges at maturity; pith hollow. Leaf-stalks are slightly channeled, 1-1.8 cm; leaf blade oblong to narrowly lanceshaped, 11-21 x 3.5-7 cm, papery, glandular granulose, early becoming hairless, lineate, base almost rounded or blunt, margin coarsely sawtoothed with thickened dot-ended teeth, tip pointed or short tapering; lateral veins 9-12 on each side of midrib, ending in teeth, submarginal vein absent. Flowers are borne in leaf-axils and at branch-ends, in panicle-like (not racemes) clusters, 2-4 cm, hairless. Bracteoles are lanceshaped, margin fringed with hairs, tip pointed. Flowers are 2-3 mm. Sepals ovate, margin fringed with hairs, tip pointed. Flowers are white, bell-shaped, petals ovate, margin minutely crenulate, as long as tube or longer, tip blunt. Stamens inserted at middle of flower tube, pistil included. Fruit is ovoid, about 2.5 mm in diameter, slightly ribbed; persistent sepals closed at fruit tip. Manipur Wild Berry is native to NE India to China. Flowering: February-March.