Lindera umbellata var. membranacea ("Obakuromoji")

Japanese name: オオバクロモジ （大葉黒文字）
Scientific name: Lindera umbellata var. membranacea

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 3–7 m tall, found in the mountains.
In old trees the trunks grow in clumps.
Young branches are yellowish green and covered with silky hairs.
The branches have black lenticels.
The leaves are simple and alternate, obovate-oblong, up to 12 cm long, with a pointed tip.
The underside of the leaf is at first covered with silky hairs, but later becomes hairless.
The leaf margin is entire.
The petiole is 1–1.5 cm long.
The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
It is dioecious.
In the mountains the flowers open before the leaves unfold, while in the lowlands they open at the same time as the leaves emerge.
Umbels arise from the axils of the bud scales of the winter buds.
The flowers are small and yellowish green, and the corolla is 6-lobed.
The fruit is spherical, 5–6 mm across, and ripens black.

[Uses]
The branches have a pleasant fragrance and are made into toothpicks, and "kuromoji" is also another name for a toothpick.
The essential oil obtained from the branches and leaves is called kuromoji oil and is used as a perfume and a bath additive.

[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]
In the Kanto and Chubu regions and elsewhere, the differences in form from kuromoji are said to be continuous and hard to distinguish clearly.

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