Ping pong tree (English name: Sterculia nobilis Smith)

Japanese: ピンポンノキ（英語表記）Sterculia nobilis Smith

An evergreen small to medium-sized tree of the Sterculiaceae family native to southern China, it is also planted in Taiwan and parts of Southeast Asia because its seeds are edible (illustration). The leaves are simple and alternate, with an elliptical blade 8-25 cm long, entire, and a 2-3 cm petiole. The flowers are small, white to reddish-coloured, and many male flowers and a few bisexual flowers grow in panicles in the leaf axils. There are no petals, and the calyx is bell-shaped with five lobes and about 20 stamens. The fruit is a 4-10 cm long, ovoid, woody capsule that ripens reddish-brown and contains 2-4 globular to elliptical seeds about 2 cm in diameter.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国南部原産のアオギリ科の常緑小～中高木で，種子が食べられるため，台湾，東南アジアの一部にも植えられている（イラスト）。葉は単葉で互生し，葉身は長さ8～25cmの楕円形で，全縁，葉柄2～3cm。花は白色～帯紅色の小花で，多数の雄花と少数の両性花が葉腋（ようえき）に生ずる円錐花序につく。花弁はなく，萼は鐘形で5裂し，おしべは約20本。果実は長さ4～10cmの卵形，木質の袋果で，紅褐色に熟し，中に径約2cmの球形～楕円形の種子を2～4個含む。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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