Carpinus japonica var. japonica ("Kumashide")

Japanese name: クマシデ （熊四手）
Scientific name: Carpinus japonica var. japonica

[Overview]
A deciduous tree 10–15 m tall, found in the mountains.
Young branches are at first covered with long hairs.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 6–11 cm long and 2.5–4.5 cm wide.
There are 20–24 pairs of lateral veins.
The leaf margins have double serrations.
There are male and female flowers, both borne in catkins, and they open as the leaves unfold.
The male catkins hang down from the leaf axils of last year's branches and are yellowish brown.
The female catkins hang down from the tips of new shoots and are green.
The fruit is a nut enclosed in a bract.
The bract is ovate, 1–2 cm long, with sharp, coarse serrations.
The fruit cluster is oblong-cylindrical and hangs down.
The fruit cluster has a stalk 2–5 cm long.

[Uses]
The wood is used for furniture, tools and utensils, and firewood and charcoal.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, cuttings or layering.
It prefers a sunny site with soil that is well drained and retains water well.
Move potted plants to partial shade in midsummer so that the soil does not dry out too much.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer in winter.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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