Yew (first place) - Taxus cuspidata; Japanese yew

Japanese: イチイ(一位) - イチイ（英語表記）Taxus cuspidata; Japanese yew

An evergreen tall tree of the Taxaceae family, native to the mountains from Hokkaido to central and northern Honshu, and also widely planted as a garden tree. Some trees reach a height of 20 m and a diameter of 70 cm. The bark is reddish brown and shallowly bald. The leaves are linear, about 2 cm long, and grow spirally on the branches, but pinnately on the lateral branches. Dioecious. Male flowers are almost spherical inflorescences that grow in the leaf axils, while female flowers are green and oblong and grow single in the leaf axils. Both bloom in spring and bear fruit in the fall of the same year. When ripe, the seeds are surrounded by red fleshy arils that form a fruit. The arils are sweet and edible. The wood is excellent and is used for buildings and utensils. It is said that the name yew comes from the word "ichii" (first rank), as scepters were once made from this wood. It is also known as araragi and onko (Ainu). T. cuspidata var. nana , which is thought to be a variant of this species, is a shrub with a branched, umbrella-shaped trunk and is widely planted as a garden tree.

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

Japanese:

イチイ科の常緑高木で，北海道から本州中・北部の山地に自生し，また庭木として広く各地で植えられる。高さ 20m，直径 70cmに達するものもある。樹皮は赤褐色で浅くはげる。葉は線形で長さ約 2cm，枝に螺旋状につくが，横枝では羽状に並ぶ。雌雄異株。雄花はほぼ球形の花序から成り葉腋につき，また雌花は緑色長楕円形で葉腋に1個つく。いずれも春開き，その年の秋に結実する。熟すると赤い多肉の仮種皮が種子を包んで果実状になる。仮種皮は甘くて食べられる。材は優秀で建築や器具材に用いられる。イチイの名は昔この材で笏 (しゃく) をつくったことから位階の「一位」に由来するといわれる。アララギ，オンコ (アイヌ語) の別名もある。本種の変種とされるキャラボクT. cuspidata var. nanaは幹が分枝し全体が傘状になった低木で広く庭木に植えられる。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Unicameral system - Ichiinsei (English spelling)

>>: A handful of sand