Ardisia (marlberry or coralberry) is a genus of plants in the Primulaceae family. It was part of the ancient Myrsinaceae family, now recognized as the Myrsine family.
They are endemic to the Pacific Islands, Australia, Asia, and America, primarily in the tropics. The Ardisia genus includes more than 700 recognized species[1] of flowering plants.
One species, Ardisia japonica, is among the 50 essential herbaceous plants of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). These are subshrubs, shrubs, and trees. Most have alternate leaves. The flowers have several forms of flower heads.
Usually, the flowers have 4 or 5 green sepals and a bell-shaped crown of 4 or 5 pink or white petals. The fruit is a slightly fleshy drupe. The characteristic feature of the genus is the small tube formed at the flower’s center by the stamens connected at the base.
