Ilex kaushue
S. Y. Hu
Bitter tea
Wikimedia Commons - Shizuha (talk)
President and Fellows of Harvard College
President and Fellows of Harvard College
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves - tea
The leaves are brewed as a bitter tea called kuding.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. In southern China it grows in dense forests between 1,000-1,200 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Asia, China, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam,
How to Identify
An evergreen tree. It grows 8 m tall. The branches are brown, strong and have ridges along them. The leaves grow in the first and second year branches. The leaves are oblong and 10-18 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. They are leathery and have double teeth along the edge. Male and female flowers are separate. The fruit are round, red and 11 mm across.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Ilex kaushue is a species of plant in the holly family, Aquifoliaceae, which is used to make a very bitter infusion called kuding. It is native to southern China and northern Vietnam, growing in dense forests, a tree up to 8 metres (26 ft) tall.
Names & Synonyms
References (1)
- Liu, L., et al, 2009, Determination of polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of kudingcha made from Ilex kudingcha C. J. Tseng. Food Chemistry 112: 35-41
