Inubuna - Inubuna

A deciduous tall tree of the Fagaceae family (APG classification: Fagaceae). It grows to a height of about 15-20 meters and tends to form a clump. Its dark gray bark, also called black beech, has many warty lenticels and is rough. The one-year-old branches are purple-brown and thin, and curve in a zigzag pattern. The winter buds are long and spindle-shaped and covered with brown scales. The leaves are oblong and 5-9 cm long, with 13 or more pairs of lateral veins. The underside is grayish white with many long silky hairs, but when the leaves fall, they become purple-brown and do not have the luster of beech. The cupule has a thin stalk 3-4 cm long, about half the length of the nut, and contains two triangular, black-brown nuts. It is found mainly in the lower beech zone on the Pacific side from Iwate Prefecture to Kyushu, and prefers moist, fertile soil on the middle and lower slopes. The material is similar to beech, but it does not grow to a large diameter and is inferior in terms of utility, hence the name dog beech. Its origins are ancient, and many fossils have been found around the world.

[Shinsuke Hagiwara January 21, 2020]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ブナ科（APG分類：ブナ科）の落葉高木。高さ15～20メートルくらいで株立ちする性質が強い。樹皮は暗灰色でクロブナともよばれ、いぼ状の皮目が多く、ざらつく。1年枝は紫褐色で細く、ジグザグに曲がる。冬芽は細長い紡錘形で褐色の鱗片(りんぺん)に包まれる。葉は左右不同の長楕円(ちょうだえん)形で長さ5～9センチメートル。側脈は13対以上。裏面は長絹毛が多く灰白色であるが、落ち葉では紫褐色となり、ブナのような光沢はない。殻斗(かくと)は3～4センチメートルの細い柄をもち、長さは堅果のほぼ半分で、中に三稜(さんりょう)形で黒褐色の2個の堅果を包む。岩手県から九州までおもに太平洋側のブナ帯下部に分布し、斜面中下部の湿気のある肥沃(ひよく)な土壌を好む。材質はブナ同様であるが大径とはならず、利用面で劣るため、犬ブナの名がある。起源が古く世界で多くの化石がみつかっている。

［萩原信介　2020年1月21日］

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