Chestnut - Chestnut

Japanese: クリ(栗) - クリ

A deciduous tall tree of the Fagaceae family. It grows in the mountains and fields of Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Korea, and has been widely cultivated as a fruit tree since ancient times. The leaves are oblong and thin and leathery. In June, long flower spikes appear from the axils of new branches, with many male flowers at the top and a few female flowers at the base. The insect-pollinated flowers have a unique fragrance. The fruits are nuts, with 1 to 3 nuts gathered together and wrapped in a bur. They ripen from August to October. There were said to be more than 200 major cultivated varieties, but due to damage caused by the chestnut gall wasp that appeared around 1941, they are now unified into insect-resistant varieties. Representative varieties include Moriwase, Ginyose, Kishine, and Tanzawa. The main production area is Ibaraki. The wood is used for stakes, sleepers, and shiitake mushroom logs. The Chinese chestnut (Chugokuguri), native to China, is characterized by the fact that the astringent skin of the fruit is easy to remove. Due to damage caused by chestnut gall wasps, it is difficult to cultivate in Japan, but they are imported and sold commercially under the names sweet chestnuts and Tianjin chestnuts.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

ブナ科の落葉高木。北海道〜九州，朝鮮の山野にはえ，また古くから果樹として広く栽培される。葉は長楕円形で薄い革質。６月，新枝の葉腋から長い花穂を出し，先に多数の雄花，基部に少数の雌花をつける。虫媒花で花穂には特有のかおりがある。果実は堅果で，１〜３個集まっていがに包まれる。８〜10月に熟す。主要な栽培品種は200以上といわれたが，1941年ごろ発生したクリタマバチの被害のため，現在は耐虫性をもつ品種に統一されている。代表的なものに，森早生(もりわせ)，銀寄(ぎんよせ)，岸根(がんね)，丹沢など。主産地は茨城。材は杭(くい)，枕木(まくらぎ)，シイタケ原木とする。中国原産のチュウゴクグリ（板栗）は，果実の渋皮がとれやすいという特徴がある。クリタマバチ被害のため日本での栽培はむずかしいが，輸入され，甘栗，天津栗の名で市販される。

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