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The "Nanamino-ki" (Ilex chinensis) belongs to Aquifoliaceae (the Holly family). It is a tall evergreen tree that is distributed from Shizuoka prefecture of Honshu west to Shikoku, Kyushu in Japan, and China. It grows in evergreen forests in mountainous areas and grows up to 10 m tall. The trunk is straight and the bark is dark gray. The leaves are narrow oblong, leathery, shiny and alternate. The cymes are borne on the axils and bloom pale purple flowers from May to June. The fruits are elliptic and ripen red. It is also called "Nanameno-ki" by another name, but the origin of the Japanese name is not clear. In Chinese, it is called "冬青" (dong qing).
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