Lithocarpus edulis (Japanese stone oak, "Matebashii")

Japanese name: マテバシイ
Scientific name: Lithocarpus edulis

[Overview]
An evergreen tree reaching 15 m in height and 60 cm in trunk diameter.
The native range is thought to be southern Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands.
The trunk is erect, but it often branches from the base and forms a clump.
The bark is dark brown with thin white vertical stripes.
Leaves are simple and alternate, and tend to cluster at the branch tips.
The leaves are oblong, 9–16 cm long and 3–7 cm wide, glossy on the upper surface, thick and hard.
The leaf margin is entire.
There are male and female flowers.
The male inflorescence is a catkin 5–9 cm long, several of which grow obliquely upward from the leaf axils of new branches.
The female inflorescence is a catkin 5–9 cm long, borne in the upper leaf axils of new branches, and male flowers are often also borne on the upper part of the female inflorescence.
Both male and female flowers are small and yellowish brown, with a 6-lobed perianth.
The fruit is an oblong nut (acorn) 1.5–2.5 cm long, ripening brown in autumn of the following year.
The cupule (acorn cap) is bowl-shaped, and the involucre scales are arranged like overlapping roof tiles.

[Uses]
The acorns have little astringency, so they need no removal of bitterness and can be roasted and eaten as they are.
The wood is used for construction, utensils, charcoal and firewood.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The germination rate drops if the acorns are dried, so sow them immediately or store them kept moist until spring.
The suitable planting area is south of the southern Tohoku region.
It prefers sun, good air circulation, good drainage, and fertile, slightly moist soil.
Apply organic fertilizer as fertilizer in winter and slow-release fertilizer in autumn.
Scale insects can occur.

[Notes]
There are various theories about the Japanese name, including that it comes from the leaves resembling a razor clam (mategai), but its origin is unclear.

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