Cleyera is a plant genus consisting of 18 tender species of extremely evergreen shrubs to small trees, mostly native to Mexico and Central America, and one from Eastern Asia. The botanical name is derived from Andrew Cleyer, Dutch physician of the seventeenth century. The plants are good for a specimen accent hedge or a mixed border landscape, with great unique bushes and colorful foliage, which make these plants superior to any other hedge shrubs. Though they are slow-growing, they can eventually reach 6–10 ft (1.8-3m) high. The plants grow densely upright with low spreading-branch habit, round-shaped form, and can kept compact by occasionally tip-cutting. Leaves are glossy, oval-shaped, 6–10 cm long with dark-green and bronze-red to burgundy tinted to young leaves. Very fragrant small flowers in creamy white to pale yellow bloom in early summer with petals free or scarcely coalesced. The pollens can cause mild allergy symptoms. Fruits are spherical, greenish yellow, then turning red to black.

Species

Cleyera gymnanthera syn. Taonabo japonica, Ternstroemia japonica, Ternstroemia gymnanthera

Cleyera japonica (Sakaki

Sakaki

Sakaki is a flowering evergreen tree native to warm areas of Japan, Korea and mainland China. It can reach a height of 10 m. The leaves are 6–10 cm long, smooth, oval, leathery, shiny and dark green above, yellowish-green below, with deep furrows for the leaf stem. The bark is dark reddish...

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Cleyera millettii

Cleyera ochnacea syn. Cleyera japonica