Japanese name: ウリノキ（瓜木） Scientific name:Alangium platanifolium var. trilobatum
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub about 3 m tall, found in slightly moist forests along valleys in the mountains.
It branches sparsely in the upper part.
Young branches are green and covered with short hairs.
The leaves are alternate, round-heart-shaped, 7–20 cm across, with 3–5 lobes whose tips extend into tail-like points.
The leaves are thin, with sparse soft hairs on the upper surface and dense soft hairs on the underside.
The petiole is 5–10 cm long.
The leaf shape varies.
Cymes hang down from the leaf axils and bear flowers sparsely.
The buds are thin and rod-shaped.
The flowers are white with 6–8 petals; the petals are 3–3.5 cm long and curl outward.
The stamens are about 3 cm long and nearly equal in number to the petals; the anthers are yellow and almost as long as the filaments.
The fruit is an elliptical drupe that ripens indigo blue.
[Uses]
The roots are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers sun to partial shade and fertile, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil.
It dislikes places in strong sunlight and dry ground.
[Notes]
The Japanese name is said to compare the shape of the leaves to the leaves of uri (melon or gourd).
