Ilex macropoda ("Aohada")

Japanese name: アオハダ （青膚、青肌）
Scientific name: Ilex macropoda

[Overview]
A deciduous tree 5–8 m tall that grows in mountain forests.
Large specimens can reach 15 m.
The leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic, 3–7 cm long and 2–5 cm wide.
The leaf tip is sharply pointed, and the margin has many pointed teeth.
Hairs grow on the veins on the underside of the leaf.
The petiole is 1–2 cm long.
The plant is dioecious.
Both male and female plants bear flowers in clusters mixed with leaves on short shoots.
Male flowers grow in groups of 5–40, and female flowers in groups of 1–10.
The flowers are small, greenish white, and 4–5-petaled.
The fruit is spherical, 7 mm in diameter, and ripens red.

[Uses]
The young leaves are edible, and are also used as a tea substitute under the name Kobo-cha.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings, grafting, or layering.
Growing from seed is also possible, but plants raised from seed will turn out to be both male and female.
To sow, harvest ripe fruit, wash off the pulp, bury the seeds in moistened vermiculite or similar so they do not dry out, and store them in a cool, dark place. Take them out the following March–April and wash them thoroughly again before sowing.
It prefers sun to partial shade and well-drained, humus-rich, moderately moist soil.
Fruit set is better in good sunlight, but it dislikes strong afternoon sun and dry sites.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
For plants in the ground, watering is unnecessary unless sunny weather continues for a long time and the soil dries out.
Fertilizer is not particularly necessary except on poor soil; if applied, use oil cake or slow-release chemical fertilizer in winter.
Pests and diseases include sooty mold and scale insects.

[Notes]
The Japanese name is said to come from the green inner bark.

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