Lindera umbellata

Flower name
Lindera umbellata
Scientific name
Lindera umbellata
Alias黒文字, くろもじ, 大葉釣樟, Spicebush
Place of originJapan
Place of floweringLow mountains
Flowering seasonMarch, April

What is Lindera umbellata

Lindera umbellata , spicebush,Lindera umbellata, Kuromoji in Japanese ( scientific name: Lindera umbellata) is a deciduous shrub in the family Lauraceae. It is distributed in Japan and China. In Japan, it grows wild in bright thickets from Honshu to Shikoku and Kyushu. The entire tree has a volatile aroma because it contains terpineol and linalool etc.. The branches are used for flower arrangements, the wood for high-quality toothpicks and chopsticks, and the fruit, branches, and leaves are used to make tea (kuromoji tea) and fragrance (kuromoji oil). The tree is dioecious. In spring, the plant produces diffuse inflorescences, and both male and female flowers are pale yellow-green, translucent, six-petaled flowers similar to those of the wax plum tree. Flowering and leaf development occur at the same time. The leaves turn yellow in autumn and the small fruits ripen to black. The oil "chloemoji oil" is extracted from the fruits and leaves. The oil contains linalool, which is used as a raw material for fragrances.
Other trees in the same genus are Lindera praecox, Lindera obtusiloba (dankoubai), Lindera obtusiloba (aomoji), and Lindera shiromoji (shiromoji).

Common name: Lindera umbellata , spicebush,Lindera umbellata, Kuromoji in Japanese, scientific name: Lindera umbellata, aka: Kuroki, Torishiba, Toriki, Spicebush, habitat distribution: Honshu to Shikoku, Kyushu of Japan and China, environment: bright thickets, height: 2 to 6 m Diameter: 0.1 m; Bark color: green on young trees, gray on mature trees; Leaf length: 5-10 cm; Leaf width: 2-5 cm; Leaf shape: oblong to obovate at the top; Leaf color: dark green; Leaf texture: hairless; Phyllotaxis: alternate, dioecious; Inflorescence form: paniculate; Flowering season: March-April; Flower color: yellow; Fruiting season: September-October; Fruit shape: globose; Fruit diameter: 0.5 cm Fruiting season: September-October.