Holly (Osmanthus ilicifolius)

Japanese: ヒイラギ(柊) - ヒイラギ（英語表記）Osmanthus ilicifolius

It is also written as 'Katsuki'. It is an evergreen tree of the Oleaceae family, which grows wild in the mountains of Japan from the Kanto region westward and in Taiwan, but is often planted in gardens. It branches well and has many leaves arranged in pairs. The leaves are thick and glossy, ovate or oblong, 3-6 cm long, with one to three sharp sawtooths on both sides along the leaf margin, and the tips of the sawtooth are thorns. However, the leaves tend to be entire on the tops of old trees. It is dioecious, and in autumn it produces small, fragrant white flowers in the leaf axils. The fruit is an oval drupe. The wood is dense and hard, so it is used for seals, abacus beads, combs, shogi pieces, etc. There is also a custom of sticking a sardine head on the entrance of a house on Setsubun day as a talisman to ward off evil spirits.

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

Japanese:

疼木とも書く。モクセイ科の常緑小高木で，関東以西の日本各地および台湾の山地に自生するが，庭園に栽植されることも多い。よく分枝して，多数の葉を対生する。葉は厚く光沢があり，長さ3～6cmの卵形ないし長楕円形で葉縁に沿って両側に1～3個の鋭い鋸歯があり，その先端はとげとなっている。しかし老木の梢では，葉は全縁になる傾向がある。雌雄異株で，秋に芳香を放つ白色の小花を葉腋につける。果実は楕円形の核果。材は緻密で堅いため，印材，そろばん玉，櫛，将棋駒などの材料にされる。また，この木は節分の日に門口にイワシの頭を刺して掲げ魔よけにする風習がある。

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