ruscifolia – refers to having leaves like the genus Ruscus (butcher’s broom)

Native range: SE Asia, SW Mexico

Leaves:

• alternate
• simple
• broad ovate, half as wide as long
• acuminate apex
• entire and undulating margin
• dark green above and lighter below
• glossy and leathery

Flowers:

• monoecious
• short inflorescence in leaf axils
• small
• white
• very fragrant (sweet vanilla) nectar produced by the male flowers
• flower clusters are found in the axis of terminal leaves
• can be either sex or mixed, with females below males
• apetalous
• male flowers: 4 sepals, 4 stamen
• female flowers: 4-6 sepals, 2-3 styles

Fruit:

• berry
• subglobose
• red, turns black with age

Other characteristics:

• evergreen shrubs to 4-6 ft. and 3-7 ft. wide
• some cultivars may form large patches by suckering or seeding
• may burn and turn yellow in the sun

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native to SE Asia, including Central and SE China, Tibet, India, Vietnam, and the Phillipines & to SW Mexico
• found in forests on mountain slopes, streamsides; 200-2,600 m elevation
• vegetative reproduction with underground stems (suckers)
• asexual reproduction – displays apomixis
• pollinated by bees
• seed dispersal – birds eat the fruit
• herbivory defense – leaves and roots contain steroidal alkaloids (chemical compounds that interfere with neurotransmitters in the nervous systems of animals, with effects similar to nerve gas)
• shade tolerant probably due to low light saturation point
• drought tolerant once established
  • leathery leaves retain water
  • adjusts osmotically to seasonal drought by concentrating solutes and reducing water potential, which allows plant to maintain turgor while under water stress
• cold tolerant – solute accumulation lowers tissue freezing point