Illicium philippinense is a species of flowering plant in the family Schisandraceae. It is a shrub or tree with leathery leaves, and white flowers. The species is native to Taiwan and the Philippines.
Illicium philippinense was described in 1909, and is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
Taxonomy The species was described by Elmer Drew Merrill in 1909.
Distribution Illicium philippinense is native to the wet tropical biome of the Philippines (Mountain Province, Oriental Mindoro, and Zambales) and Taiwan. Its estimated extent of occurrence is .
It grows in submontane forests, at elevations of .
Description Illicium philippinense is a shrub or tree that grows high. The branches are stout, dark in colour, and wrinkled when dry.
The leaves are in clusters of three or four, and have stems. The leaves are leathery, lanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, long, and wide.
The flower stem is long. The flowers are solitary, fragrant, and around long. The flowers have fifteen to twenty-one white tepals. The male flowers have sixteen to twenty-three stamens, and the female flowers have six to eight carpels. The plant flowers from December to March.
The fruit stem is up to long. The fruits are around wide when mature. The plant fruits from May to November. The seeds are pale and shiny.
Conservation In 2022, the IUCN assessed Illicium philippinense as Near Threatened. The species is threatened by habitat loss, which is caused by logging, changes in agriculture, urbanisation, and mining.
The species is not legally protected, but occurs in protected areas, including Alishan Taiwan Pleione Nature Reserve, the Zambales Mountains, and Mount Halcon.
Nomenclature In Chinese, the species is known as ().
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