Lindera praecox var. praecox ("Aburachan")

Japanese name: アブラチャン （油瀝青）
Scientific name: Lindera praecox var. praecox

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 4 m tall, found on mountain slopes and in damp places along streams.
The trunks grow in clumps, and the bases are often curved.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate-elliptic, 5–8 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, with an abruptly pointed tip.
The underside of the leaf is tinged grayish white, and the leaf margin is entire.
The petiole is 1–2 cm long and crimson.
The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
It is dioecious.
The flowers open before the leaves unfold, and umbels arise on short shoots emerging from the leaf axils of the previous year's branches.
The flowers are small and pale yellow, and the corolla is 6-lobed.
The fruit is spherical, 1.5 cm across, ripens yellowish brown, and splits irregularly to release one large seed.

[Uses]
The branches and leaves are rich in oil, so they are used as firewood, and oil taken from the seeds was used for lamps.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or from seed.
Plants grown from seed will turn out to be male or female.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, fertile soil that retains water well.
Avoid places where sunlight strikes the base of the plant or where strong afternoon sun falls, as these dry out easily.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
For plants in the ground, once established, watering is unnecessary unless sunny weather continues in midsummer and the soil becomes extremely dry.
For fertilizer in winter, dig a hole around the plant and bury compost.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
Chan refers to a kind of oil called bitumen.

View this page in Japanese (日本語)