Ai Di Cha

Ardisia japonica, marlberry or Japanese ardisia, is a low, evergreen, rhizomatous subshrub of the family Primulaceae (formerly Myrsinaceae) native to shady, humus-rich forest floors in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It typically reaches only 15-30 cm in height, spreading by slender, creeping underground stems to form loose colonies. The slender, woody, glabrous aerial stems bear several leaves crowded toward the apex, each elliptic to obovate, 4-7 cm long, leathery, dark glossy green above with finely serrate margins. Small, nodding, five-lobed, pink to white, bell- to wheel-shaped flowers 4-6 mm across are borne in few-flowered axillary or sub-terminal cymes in early summer, followed by spherical, bright red, persistent berries 5-7 mm across that often remain on the plant through winter. The whole plant with root is collected in summer or autumn.