Sycopsis


Sycopsis is a genus of plants in the family Hamamelidaceae. It includes three species native to central and southern China, Assam, and Taiwan.

Characteristics

Sycopsis are evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs or small trees. Their leaves are leathery and their flowers have no petals.

Species

Three species are accepted.

Etymology and naming

Sycopsis is derived from Greek and means ‘fig-resembler’ because the person who named the genus, Daniel Oliver, thought its appearance resembled a shrubby Ficus.
The Chinese vernacular name for this genus is 水丝梨属.