Symplocos sumuntia

Symplocos sumuntia is a shrub or tree that stays green year-round. It belongs to the Symplocaceae family. Its native range spans Nepal, eastern Asia, and Peninsular Malaysia. Records list China, Taiwan, and northeast India. They also list mainland Southeast Asia. Useful Tropical Plants lists Japan and Korea within its range, too. It grows in mixed forests at a wide range of heights. Sites lie at 328–5,906 feet [100–1,800 metres] above sea level.

It can form a low shrub or a medium-sized tree. The two plant sources give heights of 16–20 feet [5–6 metres]. These heights serve as a guide. They do not confirm its size in gardens. The plant keeps its leaves all year. The sources give no details of its bark or leaf shape. They do not state how wide its crown grows. Its leaves give year-round cover, but sources say little about landscape use.

Plants For A Future lists blooms from February to October. It says seeds ripen from June to December. Each flower has both male and female organs. Useful Tropical Plants says insects carry pollen to the flowers. The plant cannot use its own pollen to set seed. It needs pollen from a second plant of the same species. The sources do not describe flower colour or fruit shape.

The species profile says it needs moist soil that drains well. It can grow in sand, loam, and clay. Soil can range from slightly acid to neutral. The profile says it cannot grow in shade. Much of the other advice on growing it covers the genus, not this species. How much cold it can bear in Britain is not clear. The sources give no firm hardiness zone. They give no pest review for this species. Notes say to sow fresh seed in a cold frame. Stored seed needs stratification, a treatment to help it sprout. It may take a year to sprout. The same source describes growing new plants from half-ripe cuttings.

People gather wild plants for food, medicine, and other materials. Cooked leaves taste both sweet and sour. People use them to colour and flavour food, too. Sources say people can eat the seeds but give no steps to prepare them. Folk medicine uses the leaves to treat dysentery. This does not prove they help treat the disease. The plant gives a dark purple to black dye. It needs no mordant, a substance that helps fix dye. People have also used a mix with ginger to treat fleas. The sources report no known hazards. This does not prove safety in all uses.