Bodhi tree - Bodhi tree

Japanese: ボダイジュ(菩提樹) - ボダイジュ

A deciduous tall tree of the Tilia family. Native to China, it is said to have been brought to Japan by Eisai in the 12th century, and is planted in temples and other places around the country. The leaves are triangular-oval with pointed tips, and the petioles and undersides are densely covered with grayish-white fine hairs, with sharp sawtooth edges. In June and July, cymes appear from the leaf axils, and many small pale yellow, five-petaled, fragrant flowers bloom. The stalks of the inflorescences are long, with a spatula-shaped bract at the base. The fruits are spherical, ripen brown in September to November, and are densely covered with fine hairs. The closely related Bodhi tree grows in the mountains of central Honshu and Hokkaido, and has large, circular leaves with white undersides densely covered with white hairs. The wood is used for building and utensils. The Bodhi tree under which Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment in India is a species of the Mulberry family (also known as the Bodhi tree), which is rarely cultivated in greenhouses in Japan.

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

シナノキ科の落葉高木。中国原産で，日本には栄西が12世紀にもたらしたといわれ，各地の寺院などに植えられている。葉は三角状卵形で先はとがり，葉柄や裏面には灰白色の細毛が密生，縁には鋭鋸歯(きょし)がある。６〜７月，葉腋から集散花序を出し，淡黄色５弁で芳香のある小花を多数開く。花序の柄は長く，基部に１枚のへら状の包葉をつける。果実は球形で９〜11月に褐色に熟し，細毛を密生。近縁のオオバボダイジュは本州中部〜北海道の山地にはえ，葉は円形で大きく，裏面は白毛を密生して白い。材を建築，器具などとする。インドで釈迦がその下で悟りをひらいたという菩提樹はクワ科のインドボダイジュ（テンジクボダイジュとも）で，日本ではまれに温室に栽培される。

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