Ternstroemia gymnanthera ("Mokkoku")

Japanese name: モッコク （木斛）
Scientific name: Ternstroemia gymnanthera

[Overview]
An evergreen tree 10 m tall, found in evergreen broadleaf forests in coastal areas.
Young branches are tinged with red.
Leaves are simple and alternate, clustered at the branch tips, obovate, 4–6 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, with indistinct veins.
The leaves are thick, and the upper surface is slightly glossy.
The leaf margins are entire but sometimes wavy.
The leaf base runs down into the petiole, and the petiole is often tinged with reddish purple.
Flowers grow singly in the leaf axils or in the axils of leaf scars, and because the flower stalk is curved, they open sideways to downward.
The flowers are 5-petaled, white when they first open, and turn cream-colored as they age.
The fruit is spherical, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, ripens red, and usually splits open irregularly to reveal red seeds.

[History]
In the Edo period it was regarded as an important garden tree and counted as one of the "Edo Goboku" (Five Trees of Edo).

[Uses]
The leaves are used as a folk medicine.
The wood is reddish brown and is made into woodwork and the like.
The bark is used as a dye.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The suitable planting area is the Kanto region and south.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile, moderately moist sites.
Avoid places with strong afternoon sun and cold winter winds.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
For fertilizer in winter, apply organic fertilizer around the plant.
Pests and diseases include leafrollers, scale insects and sooty mold.

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