Ubamegashi - Ubamegashi

An evergreen shrub or small tree of the Quercus genus in the Fagaceae family (APG classification: Fagaceae). It grows in clusters in wind-swept areas of the coast, and its trunks are curved, so it does not usually grow to be a large tree, but there are many large trees along the Seto Inland Sea coast. The leaves grow in a ring shape at the end of the branches, are thick, have serrated edges in the upper half, and are 3 to 5 cm long, making it the smallest of all Japanese Fagaceae plants. In late April, male and female inflorescences appear at the base of the current year's branches. The fruits ripen in the autumn of the following year, are broadly elliptical, measuring 2 cm long, and are edible. The name comes from the dense brown hairs on the young leaves and branches. It grows on the coasts from Honshu west of Chiba Prefecture to Okinawa, and is also distributed in China and Taiwan. It is resistant to drying and pruning, and is used as a park tree or hedge. Its wood is the heaviest of all trees in Japan, with a specific gravity of around 1.0. The best quality charcoal, Binchotan, is produced here.

[Shinsuke Hagiwara January 21, 2020]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ブナ科（APG分類：ブナ科）コナラ属の常緑低木ないし小高木。海岸の風衝地に群生し、幹は曲がり、普通は大木とはならないが、瀬戸内沿岸には大木が多い。葉は枝先に輪状に集まってつき、質は厚く、上半部に鋸歯(きょし)があり、長さ3～5センチメートルで日本産のブナ科植物ではもっとも小さい。4月下旬、当年枝のもとに雄花序と雌花序をつける。果実は翌年の秋に熟し、広楕円(こうだえん)形で長さ2センチメートルとなり、食用になる。名は若葉や新枝に褐毛を密生することによる。千葉県以西の本州から沖縄までの海岸に生育し、中国、台湾にも分布する。乾燥、刈り込みに強く、公園樹や垣根に使う。材は日本の樹木中もっとも重く、比重1.0前後。炭としては最上の備長炭(びんちょうたん)がとれる。

［萩原信介　2020年1月21日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例