Ilex nitida (Vahl) Maxim.
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Aquifoliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Tree 10-15 m tall; stems nearly cylindrical, glabrous, smooth. Leaf blades 6-12 x 4-6.5 cm, obovate to oblong, chartaceouscoriaceous, glabrous, midvein sunken on upper surface and prominent on lower surface, the apex acute, usually slightly notched, the base acute to nearly rounded, the margins crenate-serrate and revolute; petioles 6-10 mm long, furrowed, glabrous. Flowers solitary or fasciculate at leaf axils; axes of inflorescence glabrous or puberulent; bracts ca. 0.5 mm long, lanceolate. Calyx nearly disk-shaped, the lobes 4(-5), 1-1.5 mm long, rounded, with slightly ciliate margins; petals white to greenish, 3-4 mm long, free to base, obovate to oblong; stamens 2-3 mm long; ovary ovoid to nearly globose, 4-locular, the stigmas discoid. Fruit nearly globose, 5-8 mm wide, red at maturity.
Distribution and Ecology - Occasional in moist forest. Bordeaux Mountain (A4701, A5081). Also on Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles, and Mexico.