View source for Symplocos

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Symplocaceae
|genus=Symplocos
|lifespan=perennial
|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
|features=evergreen, deciduous
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Symplocos-paniculata-berries.jpg
|image_width=240
}}
'''''Symplocos''''' is a genus of [[flowering plant]]s in the order [[Ericales]], containing about 250 species native to [[Asia]], [[Australia]] and the [[Americas]].

''Symplocos'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Engrailed|The Engrailed]].

{{Inc|
Symplocos (Greek, symplocos, entwined or connected, the stamens being connate at the base). Including Hopea and Lodhra. Styracaceae. Ornamental woody plants grown chiefly for their attractive flowers and fruits.

Deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs: lvs. alternate, entire or serrate, exstipulate: fls. perfect or sometimes polygamous, in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles, rarely solitary; calyx 5-lobed, imbricate, corolla 5-lobed or 5-parted, often split almost to the base, rarely consisting of 2 whorls; stamens numerous, rarely few, usually connate at the base, and often more or less adnate to the corolla; style filiform; ovary 2-5-loculed, inferior: fr. a drupe with a long 1-5-seeded stone.—About 285 species, widely distributed through the tropical regions except Afr.: only a few outside the tropics. Monograph by Brand in Engler's Pflanzenreich, hft. 30 (IV. 241), 1907. Several species have medicinal properties; S. tinctoria yields a yellow dye.

Of the numerous species only S. paniculata which is hardy as far north as Massachusetts, is generally cultivated; it is a shrub or small tree with abundant white flowers in small panicles, appearing in spring, and with bright blue berry-like fruits in autumn. It thrives in well-drained soil and sunny position. The half-evergreen S. tinctoria, which seems not hardy north of its natural habitat, prefers moist soil and shady situation. The evergreen species are all tender and little known in cultivation. Propagation is by seeds, which usually do not germinate until the second year, and by greenwood cuttings under glass; also by layers.

S. coccinea, Humb. & Bonpl. Evergreen tree: lvs. oblong, acuminate, crenulate, 3-5 in. long: fls. solitary, axillary, pink, 1 in. across, with 10 petals. Spring. Mex. —S. japonica, DC. (S. lucida, Sieb. & Zucc.). Evergreen shrub or small tree, 20 ft. high: lvs. elliptic to oblong, acute, remotely serrate, glabrous, 2-3 in. long: fls. yellowish, in short, few-fld. racemes: fr. oblong, red. Spring. Japan. A shrub which has been distributed by several botanic gardens under the name of S. japonica has proved to be Pyracantha crenulata.— S. sinica, Ker. Deciduous shrub, closely allied to S. paniculata: lvs. elliptic, acute, serrate, pubescent on both sides, 1 1/2 -2 in. long: fls. white, in short panicles; calyx-teeth acute. May, June. China.—S. sumuntia, Buch.-Ham. Small evergreen tree: lvs. oblong-elliptic, acuminate, cuneate at the base, serrulate, glabrous, 3-5 in. long: fls. white, in short racemes: fr. oblong. Himalayas.
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==Cultivation==


===Propagation===


===Pests and diseases===


==Species==
*''S. austromexicana'' - [[deciduous]] [[shrub]] up to 2m; narrow [[Endemism|endemic]], [[Oaxaca]], [[Mexico]]
*''S. bauerlenii'' - [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] up to 7m; eastern [[Australia]]
*''S. candelabrum'' - [[tree]] up to 13m; [[Lord Howe Island]]
*''S. coreana'' - [[deciduous]] [[shrub]] up to 5m; [[Japan]], [[Korea]]
*''S. glauca'' - [[evergreen]] [[tree]] up to 15m; [[Japan]], [[Taiwan]], [[China]], [[Indochina]]
*''S. lancifolia'' - [[evergreen]] [[tree]] up to 5m; [[Japan]]
*''S. lucida'' - [[China]], [[Japan]], [[Taiwan]], South [[Asia]], [[Malesia]]
*''[[Symplocos myrtacea|S. myrtacea]]'' - [[evergreen]] [[tree]] up to 10m; [[Japan]]
*''[[Symplocos paniculata|S. paniculata]]'' (sapphireberry) - [[deciduous]] [[shrub]] up to 8m; [[Japan]], [[South Korea]]; popular as an [[ornamental plant]]
*''S. prunifolia'' - [[evergreen]] [[tree]] up to 10m; [[Japan]], [[Korea]]
*''S. racemosa'' - [[China]], South [[Asia]]
*''[[Symplocos stawellii|S. stawelli]]'' - [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] up to 30m; eastern [[Australia]]
*''S. tanakae'' - [[evergreen]] [[tree]]; [[Japan]]
*''S. theophrastaefolia'' - [[evergreen]] [[tree]] up to 15m; [[Japan]], [[Taiwan]], [[China]]
*''[[Symplocos thwaitesii|S. thwaitesii]]'' - [[shrub]] or small [[tree]] up to 17m; eastern [[Australia]]
*''S. tinctoria'' (Sweetleaf, Horse-sugar, Yellowwood) - [[deciduous]] or [[evergreen]] [[shrub]] or [[tree]] up to 6m; [[United States]]

==Gallery==
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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==References==
<references/>
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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