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Symplocos glauca

Table of Contents

Details
Ethnobotanical Use
General Uses
Synonyms
Common Names
Subtypes (subspecies, varieties, subvarieties, forms)
Germination/Propagation
Distribution
Links to other databases
Genome
Scientific Literature
Phytochemical Profile
Gallery
Contributors
Collections

Details Top

Internal ID UUID64404f1edb3b3163015202
Scientific name Symplocos glauca
Authority Koidz.
First published in Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 39: 313 (1925)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
The plant yields a natural brown dye from leaves and stems, historically used on wool, cotton, and silk. A second product is a yellowish brown, water‑soluble gum/resin suitable as an adhesive and polish.

Industrial and craft applications:
The adhesive is used for wood joinery and as a surface coating; in the plant dyeing craft, the leaves and stems provide color after mordanting wool or cotton with metal salts (e.g., alum, iron).

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
The species is reported as a source of a small‑statured leaf tea; preparation involves immersion‑steeping leaves in water at ambient or near‑boiling temperatures to produce a beverage. Flavor and astringency are reported as mild.

Colorants and tanning:
Leaf and stem infusions yield brown to yellowish‑brown shades on protein fibers (wool/silk) and cotton; iron or copper mordants deepen and dull the hue, alum gives a warmer brown. The dye is not reported for leather tanning.

Wood and fiber:
While specimens are small and not typically used for timber, their heartwood is reported to be a fine‑grained, lustrous wood suitable for small craft works and turning. Fibers may be extracted from the bast and used for twine or cordage.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
The dried leaves are noted to have a mild fragrance and are used for simple incense or scenting sachets; no essential‑oil yield has been documented.

Properties relevant to use:
Dyeing relies on soluble brown phenolics that chelate metal mordants to fix color on fibers. The natural gum/resin is water‑soluble with a neutral to slightly acidic pH, giving clear, glossy films. The wood is high in extractives that contribute to a lustrous finish.

Standards and regulation:
No specific product or processing standards for Symplocos glauca are documented; general textile dyeing and natural‑dye craft standards apply. Use as a beverage follows national food‑beverage labeling requirements where applicable.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Materials are collected from wild plants; rapid growth and small stature make repeated collection feasible without depleting local populations. Propagation is by seed or cuttings; most supplies are locally harvested, with limited formal supply chains.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Myrsine thunbergii Tanaka Bult. Sci. Fak. Terk. Kjusu Imp. Univ. 1: 201 (1925)
Bobua glauca Nakai Trees Shrubs Japan , ed. 2: 322 (1927)
Bobua neriifolia Miers J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 17: 306 (1879)
Dicalix glauca (Thunb.) Migo Bull. Shanghai Sci. Inst. 14: 335 (1944)
Litsea glauca (Thunb.) Siebold Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 12: 24 (1830)
Neolitsea glauca (Thunb.) Koidz. Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 32: 257 (1918)
Laurus glauca Thunb. Syst. Veg. ed. 14 : 383 (1784)
Tetradenia glauca (Thunb.) Matsum. Index Pl. Jap. [J. Matsumura] ii. II. (1912), 140.
Symplocos grandis Hand.-Mazz. Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 62B: 15 (1943)
Symplocos neriifolia Siebold & Zucc. Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 4(3): 134 (1846)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
Japanese トクラベ
Japanese ミミズノマクラ
Japanese ミミスベリ
Japanese ミミスリバ
Japanese ミミズバイ
Chinese 山羊耳
Chinese 羊舌树
Chinese 羊舌樹

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Name Authority First published in
Symplocos glauca var. epapillata Noot. Leiden Bot. Ser. 1: 198 (1975)
Symplocos glauca var. glauca Unknown

Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Asia-temperate
    • China
      • China South-central
      • China Southeast
      • Hainan
    • Eastern Asia
      • Japan
      • Nansei-shoto
      • Taiwan
  • Asia-tropical
    • Indian Subcontinent
      • Assam
    • Indo-China
      • Myanmar
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam

Links to other databases Top

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Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0001141750
Tropicos 30900383
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:827595-1
The Plant List tro-30900383
Open Tree Of Life 686539
NCBI Taxonomy 239699
IPNI 827595-1
iNaturalist 710221
GBIF 7318819
CMAUP NPO5365

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Bacterial Reverse Mutation Test of Verbenalin Shin HJ, Lim YG, Ha JS, Yang G, Yook TH J Pharmacopuncture 31-Dec-2022
PMCID:PMC9806159
doi:10.3831/KPI.2022.25.4.364
PMID:36628351
Development of a system for the automated identification of herbarium specimens with high accuracy Shirai M, Takano A, Kurosawa T, Inoue M, Tagane S, Tanimoto T, Koganeyama T, Sato H, Terasawa T, Horie T, Mandai I, Akihiro T Sci Rep 16-May-2022
PMCID:PMC9110755
doi:10.1038/s41598-022-11450-y
PMID:35577859
Disturbance regimes, gap‐demanding trees and seed mass related to tree height in warm temperate rain forests worldwide Grubb PJ, Bellingham PJ, Kohyama TS, Piper FI, Valido A Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 19-Mar-2013
PMCID:PMC7161821
doi:10.1111/brv.12029
PMID:23506298
Glycosides of the leaves of Symplocos spp. (Symplocaceae). TAKASHI TANAKA, KEIKO KAWAMURA, HIROSHI KOHDA, KAZUO YAMASAKI, OSAMU TANAKA Pharmaceutical Society of Japan 08-Dec-2011
doi:10.1248/CPB.30.2421
Identification of a new minor iridoid glycoside in Symplocos glauca by thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry Junko Iida, Morimasa Hayashi, Takeshi Murata, Masami Ono, Kenichiro Inoue, Tetsuro Fujita Elsevier BV 25-Jul-2002
doi:10.1016/S0021-9673(01)89346-8

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Benzenoids / Phenol ethers / Anisoles
Estragole 8815 Click to see 148.20 unknown via CMAUP database
> Lignans, neolignans and related compounds / Furanoid lignans / Tetrahydrofuran lignans / 9,9-epoxylignans / Dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans
(+)-Nortrachelogenin 479756 Click to see 374.40 unknown via CMAUP database
3-Hydroxy-3,4-bis((4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl)oxolan-2-one 321311 Click to see 374.40 unknown via CMAUP database
Nortrachelogenin 394846 Click to see COC1=C(C=CC(=C1)CC2COC(=O)C2(CC3=CC(=C(C=C3)O)OC)O)O 374.40 unknown via CMAUP database
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Diterpenoids
(1R,4aS,10aS)-1,4a-dimethyl-7-propan-2-yl-2,3,4,5,6,9,10,10a-octahydrophenanthrene-1-carboxylic acid 92166187 Click to see CC(C)C1=CC2=C(CC1)C3(CCCC(C3CC2)(C)C(=O)O)C 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Abietic acid 10569 Click to see CC(C)C1=CC2=CCC3C(C2CC1)(CCCC3(C)C(=O)O)C 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Dehydroabietic acid 94391 Click to see CC(C)C1=CC2=C(C=C1)C3(CCCC(C3CC2)(C)C(=O)O)C 300.40 unknown via CMAUP database
Dextropimarinal 12304198 Click to see 286.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Isopimara-7,15-dienal 12311183 Click to see CC1(CCC2C(=CCC3C2(CCCC3(C)C=O)C)C1)C=C 286.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Isopimaric Acid 442048 Click to see 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Levopimaric acid 221062 Click to see CC(C)C1=CCC2C(=C1)CCC3C2(CCCC3(C)C(=O)O)C 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Neoabietic acid 221118 Click to see 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Palustric acid 443613 Click to see CC(C)C1=CC2=C(CC1)C3(CCCC(C3CC2)(C)C(=O)O)C 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Pimaric Acid 220338 Click to see 302.50 unknown via CMAUP database
Retene 10222 Click to see 234.30 unknown via CMAUP database
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Bicyclic monoterpenoids
(-)-alpha-Fenchol 439711 Click to see 154.25 unknown via CMAUP database
D-Borneol 6552009 Click to see 154.25 unknown via CMAUP database
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Menthane monoterpenoids
(+)-alpha-Terpineol 442501 Click to see 154.25 unknown via CMAUP database
(+)-Limonene 440917 Click to see 136.23 unknown via CMAUP database
Limonene, (-)- 439250 Click to see 136.23 unknown via CMAUP database
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids
(+)-Longifolene 1796220 Click to see CC1(CCCC2(C3C1C(C2=C)CC3)C)C 204.35 unknown via CMAUP database
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Terpene glycosides / Iridoid O-glycosides
methyl (1S,4aS,7S,7aR)-5-hydroxy-7-methyl-1-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy-1,4a,5,6,7,7a-hexahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-4-carboxylate 101586245 Click to see CC1CC(C2C1C(OC=C2C(=O)OC)OC3C(C(C(C(O3)CO)O)O)O)O 390.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9673(01)89346-8
methyl 7-methyl-5-oxo-1-[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy-4a,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]pyran-4-carboxylate 273110 Click to see CC1CC(=O)C2C1C(OC=C2C(=O)OC)OC3C(C(C(C(O3)CO)O)O)O 388.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.30.2421
Verbenalin 73467 Click to see 388.40 unknown https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.30.2421
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9673(01)89346-8
> Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Alcohols and polyols / Cyclitols and derivatives / Shikimic acids and derivatves
Shikimic acid 8742 Click to see C1C(C(C(C=C1C(=O)O)O)O)O 174.15 unknown via CMAUP database
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Biflavonoids and polyflavonoids
(2R,3S,4S)-4-benzylsulfanyl-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-8-[(2R,3R,4R)-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxy-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-4-yl]-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-3,5,7-triol 10372558 Click to see C1=CC=C(C=C1)CSC2C(C(OC3=C(C(=CC(=C23)O)O)C4C(C(OC5=CC(=CC(=C45)O)O)C6=CC(=C(C=C6)O)O)O)C7=CC(=C(C=C7)O)O)O 700.70 unknown via CMAUP database
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Catechins
(2R,3S,4S)-4-benzylsulfanyl-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromene-3,5,7-triol 10645351 Click to see 412.50 unknown via CMAUP database
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavans / Flavanones / Flavanonols
Pinobanksin 73202 Click to see 272.25 unknown via CMAUP database
> Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Stilbenes
3,5-Dimethoxystilbene 5316874 Click to see 240.30 unknown via CMAUP database
Pinosylvin methyl ether 5281719 Click to see COC1=CC(=CC(=C1)O)C=CC2=CC=CC=C2 226.27 unknown via CMAUP database

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