Mokkoku (English name) Ternstroemia japonica

Japanese: モッコク(木斛) - モッコク（英語表記）Ternstroemia japonica

A small evergreen tree of the Theaceae family. It is widely distributed in the warm temperate zone of East Asia, and in Japan it grows wild near the coast from the Tokai region westward, but is commonly planted as a garden tree. The trunk reaches a height of about 7m, and the branches are reddish. The leaves are smooth, thick, leathery, and hairless, oblong-ovate with rounded tips. In July, the axils produce white flowers with long stalks that hang downward. There are many stamens and one pistil. The berries are spherical with thick skin, and when ripe they split open irregularly to release red seeds. There are many horticultural varieties. The wood is very hard and heavy, and is used for building materials such as alcove pillars, equipment, stationery, and marquetry, and the bark contains tannins and can be used as a brown dye.

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

Japanese:

ツバキ科の常緑小高木。東アジアの暖温帯に広く分布し，日本でも東海地方より西の海岸近くに自生があるが，庭木として普通に植えられる。幹は高さ 7mぐらいになり，枝は赤みを帯びる。葉は無毛でなめらかな厚い革質の長楕円状倒卵形で先は丸い。7月頃に，葉腋に長い柄のある白色の花を下向きにつける。おしべは多数あり，めしべは1個である。液果は球形で皮は厚く，熟すると不規則に開裂して赤色の種子を出す。園芸品種が多い。材は非常に堅くて重く，床柱などの建築材，器具材，文房具，寄せ木細工などに，また樹皮はタンニンを含み，茶褐色の染料とすることがある。

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