Hamabiwa (Litsea japonica)

Japanese: ハマビワ(浜枇杷) - ハマビワ（英語表記）Litsea japonica

An evergreen tall tree of the Lauraceae family that grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests on the warm coasts of western Japan. It is also called Keiju (Katsuragi). It grows to a height of about 7m with dark brown bark. The leaves are alternate, thick, leathery, oblong, stalked, and about 10cm long, with dense yellowish-brown down on the underside. They resemble rhododendron leaves. In autumn, several yellowish-white flowers bloom from the leaf axils and are covered with silky hairs. Dioecious. The perianth is deeply divided into six lobes. There are nine stamens, each longer than the perianth. The berries are oval and turn blue-purple when ripe. The name Hamabiwa comes from the shape of the leaves; the fruit is inedible.

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

Japanese:

クスノキ科の常緑高木で，西日本の暖地海岸の照葉樹林中に生える。ケイジュ (桂樹) ともいう。高さ 7mぐらいになり樹皮は濃褐色。葉は有柄で互生し，厚い革質の長楕円形で，裏面は黄褐色の綿毛が密生し，長さ 10cmほどで，シャクナゲの葉を思わせる。秋に，葉腋から数個の黄白色の花をつけ絹毛をかぶる。雌雄異株。花被は6深裂する。おしべは花被より長く9本ある。液果は楕円形で熟すると碧紫色になる。ハマビワの名は葉の形状によるもので，果実は食べられない。

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