Japanese name: ボロボロノキ Scientific name:Schoepfia jasminodora
[Overview]
A deciduous small tree 4–6 m tall, sometimes 15 m, found on somewhat dry ridges and similar sites in evergreen forest.
First-year branches are tinged reddish purple, and many branches fall in winter together with the leaves.
Second-year branches are grayish white, with thick, wart-like, elliptic lenticels.
Leaves are simple and alternate, ovate, 3–7 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, with a tail-like pointed tip; they are somewhat thick and soft, and the base runs into the petiole.
The leaves are hairless on both sides.
The leaf margin is entire.
Spikes 3–5 cm long hang down from the leaf axils, bearing several flowers.
The flowers are greenish white, later turning cream-colored, tubular and 0.8 cm long, with the tip divided into 4–5 lobes that curve backward.
The flowers are fragrant.
At the base of the flower is a calyx-like bract 0.2 cm long, which becomes fleshy in the fruiting stage and encloses the fruit.
The fruit is an elliptic, drupe-like fruit 0.8 cm long, ripening from red to black.
[Notes]
The Japanese name is said to derive from the branches breaking easily, the twigs falling easily, and the wood being soft.
