Hisakaki - Hisakaki

An evergreen shrub of the Theaceae family (APG classification: Sakakiaceae). The bark of young branches is greenish brown, and the second-year branches are reddish brown. It branches well, and the leaves are densely attached to the branches, elongated and elliptical, 3-9 cm long, and finely serrated. It is dioecious, but some plants sometimes produce bisexual flowers. In spring, 1-5 flowers about 3 mm in diameter grow in clusters in the leaf axils. The male flowers are slightly larger than the female flowers and have many stamens. The female flowers sometimes have sterile stamens. In autumn, it bears spherical, black-purple berries. It grows in somewhat dry mountain areas from Honshu south of the Tohoku region to Okinawa, and is also distributed in the Korean Peninsula and China. In areas where Sakaki is scarce, this species is used as a substitute for Shinto rituals. It is planted as a garden tree, and the wood is used for tools and crafts, and the fruit is used for dye. The closely related species, Hispanica hamaensis, can be distinguished by its densely hairy young branches and elongated egg-shaped leaves. The closely related Hispanica dwarf has small, narrow oval leaves measuring 2-3cm in length, and is found on Yakushima Island in Kyushu.

[Akiko Sugiyama March 22, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ツバキ科（APG分類：サカキ科）の常緑低木。若枝の樹皮は緑褐色、次年枝からは赤褐色を帯びる。よく分枝し、葉は枝に密につき、細長い楕円(だえん)形で長さ3～9センチメートル、細かい鋸歯(きょし)がある。雌雄異株であるが、ときに両性花をつける株もある。春、葉腋(ようえき)に径約3ミリメートルの花を1～5個束生する。雄花は雌花よりすこし大きく、雄しべは多数。雌花にもときに不稔(ふねん)性の雄しべがある。秋、球形で黒紫色の液果を結ぶ。東北地方以南の本州から沖縄のやや乾いた山地に生え、朝鮮半島、中国にも分布することもある。サカキの少ない地方では、本種を神事に代用する。庭木として植え、材は器具、細工材として用い、果実は染料とする。近縁種ハマヒサカキは、若枝に毛が密生し、葉は細長い卵形であるので区別される。同じく近縁のヒメヒサカキは葉は狭長楕円形で長さ2～3センチメートルと小さく、九州の屋久(やく)島に分布する。

［杉山明子　2021年3月22日］

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