What Is the Chinese Laurel? Meet This Evergreen Tree with Sweet-and-Sour Fruit

The Chinese laurel (Antidesma bunius) is an evergreen tree in the genus Antidesma of the Euphorbiaceae family, and in some parts of the south it is also called five-flavor vegetable or sour fruit. Although its name contains the word "tea," it has nothing to do with the tea plant people usually drink; it is generally thought to have been named for the fact that its fruit ripens mostly around May. This tree is mainly distributed in the warm, humid regions of South China and Southwest China.

In appearance, the Chinese laurel is a tall plant, and its leaves are mostly long oval, leathery and glossy. Its flowers are rather small and delicately colored, and the species is dioecious, so a single planted tree often has trouble setting fruit. The fruit is a small drupe, green at first and gradually turning red and even purplish black as it ripens, hanging in clusters on the branches and making quite an ornamental display.

The fruit of the Chinese laurel tastes sweet and sour, and it can be eaten fresh or processed into jam, fruit wine or flavored drinks; in some places it is a rather distinctive wild fruit. At the same time, with its upright form and evergreen branches and leaves, it is often used as a garden ornamental tree or a street tree, offering both greening and ornamental value. There are also folk practices of using its roots and leaves as medicine, but a professional should be consulted before use.

For care, the Chinese laurel likes a warm, humid climate, enjoys light but also tolerates a little shade, and is best planted in deep, loose soil with good drainage. It is not cold-hardy, and overwintering outdoors in northern regions is rather difficult; if it is grown in a pot for display, it should be moved indoors in winter for warmth and watered sparingly so that it can get through the winter safely.