Karin - Karin

A deciduous tall tree of the Rosaceae family (APG classification: Rosaceae). Its Chinese name is 榠樝. It grows to a height of 7-10 meters and a diameter of 35 centimeters. The bark is greenish-brown and smooth, peeling off in thin flakes, leaving a cloud-like pattern after it has fallen. The leaves are alternate, obovate or elliptical-ovate, 3-8 cm long, pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, and have fine serrated edges. The underside of the leaves is covered with soft hairs along the mid-vein, and the leaves are somewhat hard. In April and May, pale pink, five-petaled flowers measuring 3-3.5 cm in diameter are borne singly at the ends of the branches. The petals are elliptical, the calyx tube is obovate and hairless, and the calyx has five recurved lobes and is covered with fluff on the inside. There are about 20 stamens, which are shorter than the petals. There are 3 to 5 styles, which are fused at the base and have hairs. The fruit is elliptical or obovate, pear-shaped, about 10 cm long, ripens yellow in autumn, is smooth and fragrant. It is native to central China and is said to have been introduced to Japan during the Heian period. It grows well in suitable wetlands, is cold-resistant, can be pruned, and is used as a bonsai or garden tree. It can be propagated by seed, cuttings, and layering, but if grafted onto a seedling, it will flower and fruit faster. The flesh is hard and has a sour and astringent taste, so it cannot be eaten raw, but it can be soaked in shochu with rock sugar to make quince liquor, and the juice of sugar and ginger boiled down is solidified and made into a sweet called "kasita". It can also be cut into rings and boiled with sugar to make a cough suppressant and diuretic. The heartwood is a beautiful dark reddish brown color and is hard and tough, so it is used for pillars, furniture, sculptures, etc.

The name comes from the fact that the grain of the wood resembles that of the quince (a flowering palm) of the legume family found in Southeast Asia. The fruit called quince in Nagano Prefecture and elsewhere, which is eaten raw or used to make sweets and jams, is in fact a quince with fluffy skin on the surface of the fruit.

[Yoshio Kobayashi December 13, 2019]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

バラ科（APG分類：バラ科）の落葉高木。中国名は榠樝。高さ7～10メートル、径35センチメートルになる。樹皮は緑褐色、滑らかで、薄片になってはげ、落ちたあとが雲紋状になる。葉は互生し、倒卵形ないし楕円(だえん)状卵形、長さ3～8センチメートル、先はとがり、基部は円く、縁(へり)に細鋸歯(さいきょし)がある。裏面は主脈に軟毛があり、葉質はやや堅い。4、5月、淡紅色で径3～3.5センチメートルの5弁花を枝先に単生する。花弁は楕円形、萼筒(がくとう)は倒円錐(とうえんすい)形で毛がなく、萼裂片は5枚で反り返り、内面に綿毛がある。雄しべは約20本で花弁より短い。花柱は3～5本あり、基部は合着して毛がある。果実は楕円形ないし倒卵形、長さ約10センチメートルのなし状果となり、秋に黄色に熟し、平滑で芳香がある。中国中部原産で、平安時代には日本に渡来していたという。適湿地でよく育ち、耐寒性があり、剪定(せんてい)もでき、盆栽、庭園樹にする。繁殖は実生(みしょう)、挿木、取木もするが、実生台に接木(つぎき)すると開花、結実するのが早い。果肉は堅くて酸味と渋味があって生食はできないが、氷砂糖を入れた焼酎(しょうちゅう)に漬けてカリン酒をつくり、砂糖と生薑(しょうきょう)（ショウガ）をともに煮つめた汁を固めて「かせいた」という菓子にする。また、輪切りにして砂糖とともに煎(せん)じて、鎮咳(ちんがい)、利尿の薬にする。材は心材が暗紅褐色で美しく、堅くて粘り強いので、床柱、家具、彫刻などに使われる。

　名は、材の木目が東南アジアに産するマメ科のカリン（花櫚）に似ているからという。長野県などでカリンと称して生食したり、菓子、ジャムなどにするものは、果実の表面に綿毛のあるマルメロである。

［小林義雄　2019年12月13日］

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