Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Japanese: ビワ(枇杷) - ビワ（英語表記）Eriobotrya japonica; loquat

An evergreen tall tree of the Rosaceae family. Native to China, it is usually cultivated as a fruit tree, but is said to grow wild in warm regions such as Shikoku and Kyushu. Its thick branches spread out in all directions, forming a circular crown, and its young branches are densely covered with light brown fluffy hairs. The leaves are large, oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, 20-30 cm long, with low wavy sawtooth edges. They are thick and leathery, with a dark green glossy surface and densely covered with light brown soft hairs on the underside. From late autumn to early winter, the white, fragrant flowers bloom in panicles at the ends of the branches. There are five petals and sepals, and the sepals and pedicels are covered with light brown hairs. The fruit is an obovate pear-shaped fruit that ripens to yellow in early summer the following year. The seeds are large, trihedral ellipsoids with a rounded back, reddish brown, and glossy. The fruit is eaten raw or canned. The leaves are dried and used as a stomachic, and the seeds are used to make apricot juice. The wood is dense and difficult to break, so it is used to make wooden swords and walking sticks. The main producing areas of loquats are Chiba Prefecture and Nagasaki Prefecture.

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

Japanese:

バラ科の常緑高木。中国原産で通常は果樹として栽培されるが，四国や九州などの暖地には自生もあるといわれる。太い枝を四方に開出して樹冠は円形になり，若枝には淡褐色の綿毛が密生する。葉は大型の長楕円形ないし倒披針状長楕円形で，長さ 20～30cmもあり縁に低い波状の鋸歯がある。質は厚い革質で表面は濃緑色で光沢があり，裏面には淡褐色の軟毛を密生する。晩秋から初冬にかけて，枝先に円錐花序をなして白色で芳香のある花をつける。花弁，萼片とも5枚で，萼片と花柄は淡褐色の毛がおおう。果実は倒卵形のなし状果で，翌年の初夏に黄色に熟する。種子は大型で背面の丸い三面楕円体状で赤褐色，光沢がある。果実は生食または缶詰として食用にする。また，葉を乾燥して健胃剤，種子は杏仁水の製造に用いる。材は緻密で折れにくいので木刀や杖の材料にされる。ビワのおもな産地は千葉県と長崎県である。

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