Mallotus japonicus (Thunb. ex Murray) Mueller-Arg.
[Euphorbiaceae]
Akamegashiwa (アカメガシワ, 赤芽柏 / 赤柏, 御菜葉, 五菜葉, アカベ)
Lifeform: deciduous tree
Distribution: east Asia, including Japan (but not distributed in Hokkaido)
Habitat: common in secondar forsets (pioneer tree)
Shoot: cherry red
Seed: bird dispersal (use for staining)
Mallotus Lour.
Three species in Japan. No species in Hokkaido
M. japonicus (Thunb. ex Murray) Mueller-Arg. (アカメガシワ)
M. paniculatus (Lamarck) Muell. Arg. (ウラジロアカメガシワ): Yaeyama Islands and to south
M. philipensis (Lamarck) Muell. Arg. (クスノハガシワ): Tokara Islands and to south
Mallotus japonicus in Japan
[Left] a tree. [Center] a sapling. [Right] close-up of leaf and terminal bud. At Rakuju-en Garden, Mishima, on November 18 2009.