Kuromoji (black lettering) - Lindera umbellata

Japanese: クロモジ(黒文字) - クロモジ（英語表記）Lindera umbellata

A deciduous shrub of the Lauraceae family, found in warm regions of Japan and China. It commonly grows in mountains and fields. It is dioecious. The bark is smooth and green, with black spots here and there. The leaves are alternate, narrow elliptical, thin, and whitish-green on the underside. In spring, before the leaves appear or at the same time as the new leaves appear, numerous pale yellow-green small flowers bloom in umbels. The female flowers are larger than the male flowers and are fewer in number. The fruits are spherical and turn black when ripe. The bark has a fragrant scent, so twigs are used to make toothpicks, and bark oil is used as an ingredient in perfume. The tree is called kuro-moji because the black spots on the bark resemble letters.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

クスノキ科の落葉低木で，日本の暖地や中国に分布する。山野に普通に生える。雌雄異株。樹皮はなめらかで緑色をしているが，ところどころに黒い斑点がみられる。葉は互生し，狭楕円形で質が薄く裏面は白緑色である。春，葉の出る前または新葉と同時に淡黄緑色の小花が多数散形花序をなして咲く。雌花は雄花より大きく数は少い。果実は球形で熟すると黒色になる。樹皮に芳香があるので小枝はつまようじの材料とされ，樹皮の油は香水の原料とされる。樹皮に生じる黒い斑点を文字に見立てて黒文字と呼ばれる。

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