Sharinbai (wheel plum) - Raphiolepis umbellata

Japanese: シャリンバイ(車輪梅) - シャリンバイ（英語表記）Raphiolepis umbellata

An evergreen shrub of the Rosaceae family. It grows wild on the coasts of warm regions west of the Kanto region, and is cultivated in various places as a garden or park tree. It grows to a height of about 1m and branches well. The leaves are ovate or broadly elliptical, thick and hard, dark green, with fine sawtooth edges and slightly curled back. In May, panicles are produced at the ends of the branches, producing numerous white flowers. The flowers have five petals, a diameter of 1-1.5cm, and numerous stamens, resembling pear flowers. The fruits are spherical and ripen black, with some white powder. There are varieties such as the round-leaved Rhaphiolepis umbellata and the small-leaved Rhaphiolepis umbellata, and the ones grown on the coasts of the Izu Seven Islands and Ogasawara Islands have many variations. The bark and wood contain 4-5% tannin, and are used to dye Oshima Tsumugi brown.

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

Japanese:

バラ科の常緑低木。関東地方より西の暖地の海岸に自生し，また庭木や公園樹として各地で栽培される。高さ約 1mでよく分枝する。葉は卵形または広楕円形，葉質は厚くて硬く，暗緑色で縁に細かい鋸歯があり多少裏側へそり返る。5月頃，枝先に円錐花序をつけ多数の白花をつける。花は5弁で径1～1.5cm，多数のおしべがあってナシの花に似ている。果実は球形で黒く熟し，多少白い粉をふく。葉の丸いマルバシャリンバイや葉の小さいヒメシャリンバイなどの品種があり，伊豆七島や小笠原などの海岸のものは変異が多い。樹皮および材にタンニンを4～5%含み，大島紬の褐色の染色に用いられる。

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