Ardisia japonica (English name: Ardisia japonica)

Japanese: ヤブコウジ(藪柑子) - ヤブコウジ（英語表記）Ardisia japonica

An evergreen shrub of the Ardisiaceae family. It is found in the warm temperate zone of eastern Asia, and is commonly found under somewhat dry forests in low mountains and hills throughout Japan. It often grows in colonies. The rhizome creeps underground, stands upright at the end, has few branches, and grows to a height of 10-30 cm. The leaves are 6-12 cm long, oblong, with a sharp tip and short stalks, and grow in whorls in 2-3 tiers at the top of the stem. They are dark green and glossy, almost hairless except for the midrib, and have fine sawtooth edges. In summer, flower stalks appear in the leaf axils, and 2-5 small white flowers hang downward. The calyx is deeply divided into 5 lobes, and the corolla is dish-shaped and also divided into 5 lobes. It has 5 stamens and 1 pistil, and the fruit is spherical, ripens red, and hangs downward. It has been cultivated for ornamental purposes since ancient times, and many horticultural varieties were created during the Edo period. The roots are used as a detoxifier and diuretic.

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

Japanese:

ヤブコウジ科の常緑小低木。アジア東部の暖帯に分布し，日本各地の低山や丘陵地のやや乾燥した林下に普通にみられる。群生することが多い。根茎は地下を長くはい，先は直立してほとんど分枝せず高さ 10～30cmになる。葉は長さ6～12cmの長楕円形，鋭頭で短い柄があり，茎の上部に2～3段輪生状につく。濃い緑色で光沢があり，中肋のほかはほとんど無毛で縁に細かい鋸歯が並ぶ。夏，葉腋に花柄を出し，2～5個ずつの白色小花を下向きにつける。萼は5深裂し，花冠は皿状でやはり5裂する。おしべ5本，めしべ1本があり，果実は球形で赤熟し，下垂する。古くから観賞用に栽培され，江戸時代には多くの園芸品種がつくられた。根を解毒，利尿剤として用いる。

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