Asada - Asada (English spelling) hop-hornbeam

A deciduous tall tree of the Betulaceae family (APG classification: Betulaceae), it grows to a height of about 17 meters. Its characteristic is that the nuts are wrapped in membranous, pouch-like bracts. It grows in mountainous areas throughout Japan, with gray-brown, shallowly fissured bark that splits into small pieces and curls back. The twigs are densely hairy. The leaves are alternate, long and oval, and densely covered with soft hairs, giving them a velvety texture. It is monoecious, with the male inflorescence appearing in the previous autumn and blooming in early spring. The female inflorescence appears in spring and droops in autumn to become the inflorescence. The wood is hard, elastic, and has a beautiful color, making it an excellent material for flooring, as well as being used for spun wood pipes, furniture, and utensils. There are seven species of the Asoba genus in the Northern Hemisphere and one species in Japan.

[Kihachiro Kikuzawa February 17, 2020]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

カバノキ科（APG分類：カバノキ科）の落葉高木で、高さ17メートルくらいになる。堅果が、膜質、袋状の包葉に包まれるのが特徴。各地の山地に生え、樹皮が灰褐色で浅く裂け、小さく割れて反り返る。小枝には密に毛がある。葉は互生し、長卵形で、軟毛が密生してビロード状となる。雌雄同株で、雄花序は前年秋から現れ、早春に開花する。雌花序は春に現れ、秋に下垂して果序となる。材は堅く、弾力があり、材色が美しいので床板材として最優秀であるほか、紡績木管、家具、器具などに用いる。アサダ属は北半球に7種、日本には1種が分布する。

［菊沢喜八郎　2020年2月17日］

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