Bischofia javanica (bishop wood, "Akagi")

Japanese name: アカギ （赤木）
Scientific name: Bischofia javanica

[Overview]
A semi-evergreen tree 25 m tall, found on limestone and in slightly moist places along mountain valleys.
The bark is reddish brown and peels off in small pieces.
The leaves are alternate and trifoliate; the leaflets are ovate to elliptical, 8–15 cm long, with blunt teeth.
They have petioles, and the stipules fall early.
It is dioecious.
Panicles to racemes are produced in the leaf axils, bearing many flowers.
The male inflorescence is much branched and broad, while the female inflorescence is sparsely branched.
The flowers have no petals and are small and green.
The fruit is an ovoid to oblate drupe 1–1.5 cm across, ripening brown, and wild birds eat it readily.

[Uses]
The roots and bark are used medicinally, and the wood is used for construction and furniture.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
In Okinawa it is used as a street tree, a shade tree and a windbreak.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile soil.
It tolerates shade, but loses its leaves if the site is too poorly lit.
It grows quickly and is easy to cultivate.
Termites are a pest.

[Notes]
The Japanese name derives from the reddish-brown color of the wood and bark.
It is a larval food plant of the Yonagunisan.
In the Ogasawara Islands, plants introduced for firewood and charcoal have become wild and are a problem because they crowd out the native vegetation.

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