Polyspora axillaris

The fried egg plant is in the tea or Theaceae family and is native to Vietnam and southern China, including Hong Kong, Hainan and Taiwan. It is an evergreen shrub or tree that can grow to 9 m tall.

It was originally grouped in the Gordonia genus.

• Leaves are stout, very leathery, 7.7–16 cm long and 1.9–6.8 cm wide, glabrous and dark glossy green, shortly stalked.
• Flowers are rather big (7.5–15 cm across), with 5–6 white petals, and many yellow anthers, somewhat resembling the white and yellow of a fried egg; some flowers grow in the leaf axils, leading to its scientific name, P. axillaris; they are fragrant and attract bees and butterflies; flowers fall off the tree before wilting.
• Fruit is erect, oblong, 3.1–3.7 cm long and 1.4 cm wide, hard and woody, the hardened sepals persisting in the winter.