Quercus glauca - Arakashi

An evergreen tall tree of the Fagaceae family (APG classification: Fagaceae) that can reach a height of 15 meters. It has strong sprouting power and tends to form clumps. The bark is gray-black-green and smooth on young trees. New branches are pale green-purple and densely covered with brown hairs. The leaves are obovate-oblong, 6-12 cm long, leathery, with linear lateral veins that slope upwards and end in 5-7 large sawtooths at the upper half. The undersides are gray-blue and covered with pubescent hairs. Male and female inflorescences appear on new branches around May, and the nuts ripen in October of the same year. It is found south of Miyagi Prefecture and is the most common of the evergreen oaks, and can withstand dry conditions even on rocky ground, so it is used as a garden tree in the Kansai region.

[Shinsuke Hagiwara January 21, 2020]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ブナ科（APG分類：ブナ科）の常緑高木で、高さ15メートルに達する。萌芽(ほうが)力が強く株立ちになりやすい。樹皮は灰黒緑色で若木では平滑。新枝は淡緑紫色で褐色毛を密生する。葉は倒卵状長楕円(ちょうだえん)形、長さ6～12センチメートルで革質、側脈は直線状に斜上し、上半部で5～7個の大形の鋸歯(きょし)に終わる。裏面は灰青色で伏毛がある。5月ごろ雌雄の花序が新枝につき、当年の10月に堅果が熟す。宮城県以南に分布し、常緑カシ類中もっとも普遍的で、岩石地でもよく乾燥に耐えるため、関西地方では庭木などに用いられる。

［萩原信介　2020年1月21日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例