Eurya

Eurya emarginata
A slow growing, dense, rounded shrub, reaching a maximum size of 17 x 8 ( rarely over 4 ) feet, that is native to coastal southern Japan.
The leathery, toothed, oval leaves, up to 3 x 1 inches, are glossy deep green. The foliage often turns reddish during winter.
The tiny. yellow-green flowers borne during late spring are not very showy.
They are followed by very small, rounded berries, up to 0.5 inches across.
Hardy zones 7 to 10 in full sun to partial shade on moist, fertile, acidic, well drained soil. Prefers a site protected from excessive wind during winter.
Propagation is from seed sown during fall or spring as well as semi-ripe cuttings taken during summer.

Eurya japonica ( Japanese Eurya )
A very attractive, rare evergreen shrub to small tree in the Camellia family, that is native to far eastern China, Korea & Japan. It reaches up to 12 feet or more, though the record is a much larger 40 x 20 feet with a trunk diameter of 1.5 feet.
The elliptical leaves are up to 5 x 1.5 ( rarely over 3 x 1 ) inches in size. The thick, leathery foliage is glossy deep green above, pale green beneath; turning to bronze during the winter.
The very fragrant, very small, creamy-white flowers, up to 0.2 inches wide, are borne during late winter early spring. They are followed by purplish-black berries during early to mid autumn.
The wrinkled bark is grayish-brown.
Hardy zones 8 to 10 ( possibly 6 for seed source from Anhui Prov, China and high mountains in Japan ), it prefers cool, fertile, moist, well drained soil in sun or shade. It is salt breeze tolerant and likes light sandy soils making it an excellent choice for coastal areas. It is also very tolerant of hot humid conditions.

* photos taken @ U.S. National Arboretum on Feb 2009


* photos taken on June 23 2013 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Washington DC

* photo taken on Feb 8 2014 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photos taken on Apr 24 2016 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photos taken on Mar 26 2021 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Wash, D.C.

'Aurea'
Golden-yellow foliage.

'Winter Wine'
Leathery foliage turns burgundy-red during winter. Hardier than species, north to zone 7.

* photo taken on July 3 2024 @ U.S. National Arboretum, Wash DC