Japanese name: ヤエヤマブキ（八重山吹） Scientific name:Kerria japonica f. plena
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 1–2 m tall.
Many green branches emerge and extend in arches.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate, 3–10 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, thin in texture, with 5–7 pairs of conspicuous lateral veins.
The leaf margins are shallowly lobed, with irregular double serrations.
The petiole is 0.5–1.5 cm long.
The flowers are yellow and double, 3–5 cm in diameter, borne singly at the tips of side branches.
The flower stalk is 0.8–1.5 cm long.
[History]
It is famous from the story of Ota Dokan and the yamabuki (the "Yamabuki anecdote").
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or division.
It prefers fertile soil in a sunny, well-drained location.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient except that care is needed against summer dryness.
Apply fertilizer in winter, and also place slow-release fertilizer on the soil after flowering as a thank-you fertilizer.
Because the branches are short-lived, remove dead branches during the leafless period.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
