The aridoshi

Damnacanthus indicus

Flower name
The aridoshi
Scientific name
Damnacanthus indicus
Aliasイチリョウ, 一両, 蟻通し
Place of originJapan, Korea, China, and India
Place of floweringLow mountains, Bonsai
Flowering seasonApril, May

What is The aridoshi

The aridoshi (scientific name: Damnacanthus indicus) is an evergreen broad-leaved shrub in the family Rubiaceae, native to Japan, Korea, China, and India. It is also known as ichiryo, aridoushi, and tamagoba aridoushi. It grows wild under evergreen forests in the mountains from the Kanto region west to Kyushu and Okinawa. The main stem is erect, and the side branches spread horizontally in twos. The young branches have conspicuous sharp spines 1-2 cm long. The spines are the same length or longer than the leaves. The leaves have short petioles and are green, ovate, 1-2 cm long and 0.6-1.2 cm wide, with full leaf margins and attached in opposite pairs. From April to May, two small pure white flowers bloom from the tips of branches and leaf axils. The corolla is funnel-shaped, 1 cm long, with four lobes at the tip, and the lobes are about 0.3 cm long. The calyx is reddish brown with four lobes, and produces a small red spherical kernel 0.5 cm in diameter from November to January. Four sepals remain at the tip of the fruit. Inside the fruit are three nuclei about 0.4 cm long.

Common Name: The aridoshi, Scientific Name: Damnacanthus indicus, AKA: Aridoshi, Ichiryo, Life Form: Evergreen shrub, Origin: Japan - Korean Peninsula, China, India, Habitat: Japanese Distribution：Kanto and west to Kyushu, Okinawa, Living environment：Mountains, under evergreen trees, Height: 20-60cm, Branches: 1-2cm long with prominent sharp spines, Petiole: short, Leaf texture: leathery, Leaf color: green, Leaf shape: ovate, Leaf length: 1-2cm, Leaf width: 0.6-1.2cm, Leaf margin: full margin, Stipules: opposite, Flowering season: April to May, Flower Flowering place: branch tip or leaf axil; Flower color: pure white; Corolla length: 1 cm; Corolla shape: funnel-shaped with 4 lobes at the tip; Lobule length: 0.3 cm; Pistil head: 4 lobes; Sepals: 4 lobes; Fruiting season: November to January; Fruit diameter: 0.5 cm; Fruit color: red; Fruit shape: globular; Fruit type: liquid fruit + sepal rest; Uses: potted plant, bonsai, floor decoration during New Year.