Schima

Schima is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the tea family, Theaceae. The genus inhabits warm temperate to subtropical climates across southern and southeastern Asia, from the eastern Himalaya of Nepal and eastern India across Indochina, southern China, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands. There are about 20 species, including six species endemic to China. Fossil fruits of Schima have been described as †Schima nanlinensis, from the Miocene of Nanlin Formation in Longchuan Basin, Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The fossil fruits are 5-loculed capsules with reniform flat seeds. The genus Schima is known as fossils from the Palaeogene and Neogene of Germany and Austria. †Schima nanlinensis represents the first fossil record of the genus in Asia.