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Atago Forest and Green Protection Association

Atago Mountain Plants-Tree 7 (Ham)

This is a page of trees (flowers are displayed on a separate page for each season). Tree names are listed in order of Aiueo on this page. However, typical trees are displayed at the beginning of each page. Images of trees with flowers and fruits are also displayed on seasonal pages. Click on an image to see it in full view, or lay it down to enlarge it.
An evergreen tree of the genus Elaeocarpus in the family Elaeocarpaceae, a native species that grows naturally in western Japan and Okinawa. Monoecious. Also known as mogashi (mongashi), zukunoki, Dutch noki, habosonoki, etc. Some of the leaves are colored and then fall.
The Japanese name means "Portuguese tree". It is said that Hiraga Gennai mistakenly named it the olive tree. The fruit was very similar to the olive fruit, and I misunderstood that I would collect oil from now on. "Holt oil" (= olive oil) was used for medicinal purposes in the Edo period.
The flowering season is from June to July, and many small white flowers are attached to the racemes. The leaves are quite different from olive leaves and resemble bayberries. Bark and branches and leaves are used as black dyes.

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