Chisha tree - Chisha no ki

A deciduous tall tree of the family Boraginaceae (APG classification: Boraginaceae). The bark peels off in small scales, and the tree shape and leaves resemble those of a persimmon, so it is also called the false persimmon. The leaves are alternate, obovate-oblong, 10-17 cm long, with a short, pointed tip, a wedge-shaped base, and shallowly cut sawtoothed edges. They are somewhat thick, with 1.5-3 cm long petioles. In June and July, panicles are produced at the ends of the branches, and many small white flowers bloom densely. The corolla is deeply divided into five lobes, about 5 mm in diameter, and has five stamens. The fruit is spherical, 4-5 mm in diameter, and ripens orange-yellow in August and September. It grows in lowlands and is distributed in western Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa, and central and southern Chugoku.

Its wood is yellowish-white and is used for buildings, furniture, and utensils, and its bark and wood are used to make dyes. It is also used as a garden tree. The Japanese snowbell, which belongs to the Styrax family, is sometimes called the Chinese snowbell, and the Chinese snowbell that appears in the kabuki play "Meiboku Sendaihagi" is the Chinese snowbell. There are about 50 species in the Chinese snowbell genus, mainly found in the tropics around the world.

[Yoshio Kobayashi July 16, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ムラサキ科（APG分類：ムラサキ科）の落葉高木。樹皮は小鱗片(りんぺん)になってはがれ、樹形および葉がカキノキに似るので、カキノキダマシともいう。葉は互生し、倒卵状長楕円(ちょうだえん)形で長さ10～17センチメートル、先は短くとがり、基部はくさび形、縁(へり)に浅く切れ込む鋸歯(きょし)がある。質はやや厚く、長さ1.5～3センチメートルの葉柄がある。6～7月、枝先に円錐(えんすい)花序をつくり、白色の小花を多数密に開く。花冠は深く5裂し、径約5ミリメートル。雄しべは5本。果実は球形で径4～5ミリメートル、8～9月、橙黄(とうこう)色に熟す。低地に生え、中国地方西部、四国、九州、沖縄、および中国中南部などに分布する。

　材は黄白色で、建築、家具、器具材とし、樹皮および材から染料をつくる。また庭木にもする。エゴノキ科のエゴノキもチシャノキとよばれることがあり、歌舞伎(かぶき)『伽羅先代萩(めいぼくせんだいはぎ)』に出てくるチシャノキはエゴノキのことである。チシャノキ属は世界の熱帯を中心に約50種ある。

［小林義雄　2021年7月16日］

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