Lindera sericea var. sericea ("Kekuromoji")

Japanese name: ケクロモジ （毛黒文字）
Scientific name: Lindera sericea var. sericea

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 3 m tall, found in deciduous forests in the mountains.
Young branches are yellowish green, at first covered with silky hairs, later becoming hairless, and have no lenticels.
The leaves are simple and alternate, narrowly obovate, 8–16 cm long and 2–6 cm wide, with a sharply pointed tip and an entire margin.
The upper surface of the leaf is densely covered with soft hairs and is sunken along the veins, giving it a wrinkled look.
The underside of the leaf is covered with silky hairs, especially abundant on the veins.
The leaves as a whole have a velvety, fluffy feel.
The petiole is 1–1.5 cm long and covered with silky hairs.
The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
The flowers open at the same time as the leaves unfold, and umbels arise from the base of the terminal bud; the inflorescence is densely hairy.
The flowers are small and yellowish green, and the corolla is 6-lobed.
The fruit is a spherical berry 0.6–0.8 cm across that ripens black; the fruit stalk thickens toward the fruit.

[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.

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