Ormosia hosiei is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It belongs to the genus Ormosia, which comprises trees and shrubs native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and the Americas.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Angiosperms
- Clade: Eudicots
- Clade: Rosids
- Order: Fabales
- Family: Fabaceae
- Genus: Ormosia
- Species: O. hosiei
The specific epithet “hosiei” honors the botanist or collector whose surname was Hosie; the exact individual referenced by the name is not detailed in widely available sources.
Description
Ormosia hosiei is reported as a medium‑sized evergreen tree. Like other members of the genus, it typically possesses:
- Compound, bipinnate leaves with numerous small leaflets.
- Yellowish‑green racemose inflorescences bearing small, papilionaceous flowers characteristic of Fabaceae.
- Pods that mature to contain several hard, often brightly coloured seeds; many Ormosia species are noted for red or orange seeds, though specific seed coloration for O. hosiei is not documented in major references.
Detailed morphological measurements (e.g., tree height, leaf size, pod dimensions) are not broadly published.
Distribution and Habitat
Ormosia hosiei is native to China. Published records, such as the “Flora of China,” list its occurrence in the following provinces:
- Yunnan
- Guizhou
- Sichuan
The species is found in subtropical montane forests, generally at elevations ranging from approximately 800 to 1,800 meters above sea level. It grows in mixed hardwood forests and is associated with other broad‑leaf tree species typical of these regions.
Conservation Status
As of the latest accessible data, Ormosia hosiei has not been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Consequently, its formal conservation status is Not Evaluated. Local assessments, if any, have not been widely disseminated in the scientific literature.
Uses
Specific economic or ethnobotanical uses of Ormosia hosiei are not documented in major reference works. Some Ormosia species are harvested for their ornamental seeds or timber, but applicability to O. hosiei remains unrecorded.
Notes
- The information presented is derived from recognized botanical references such as the “Flora of China” and standard taxonomic databases.
- Where details are absent from these sources, the entry explicitly notes the lack of published data rather than conjecturing.
This entry reflects the current state of publicly available, verifiable encyclopedic information on Ormosia hosiei.