Japanese name: シシアクチ Scientific name:Ardisia quinquegona
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub to small tree 2–5 m tall.
The stems branch freely.
Young branches are cylindrical and bear brown scale-like hairs.
The leaves are simple and alternate, narrowly obovate, 6–10 cm long and 2–3.5 cm wide, with a pointed tip.
The leaf margin is entire.
The leaves take on a dark purplish brown tint when dried.
The petiole is 0.6–1 cm long and bears scale-like hairs while young.
Umbels or cymes arise from the leaf axils and bear a dozen or so flowers.
The flowers are white, about 6 mm across; the corolla is 5-lobed with the tips curving back.
The fruit is oblate, 4–6 mm across, and ripens blackish purple.
