*** Welcome to piglix ***

Cyclobalanopsis acuta

Japanese evergreen oak
Quercus acuta3.jpg
Quercus acuta2.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Subgenus: Cyclobalanopsis
Species: Q. acuta
Binomial name
Quercus acuta
Thunb. 1784 not Buch.-Ham. ex Wall. 1829 nor Siebold ex Blume 1851 nor Raf. 1838
Synonyms

Quercus acuta, Japanese evergreen oak, is an oak native to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China's Guizhou Province and Guangdong Province.

Due to its foliage and habitat, it looks rather unlike most other oaks. Quercus acuta is usually bushy and densely domed, reaching a height of 14 meters. The bark is smooth and dark grey. Leaves are dark and glossy above and yellowish beneath. They narrow to a long, finely-rounded tip. The flowers are on a stiff 5 cm catkin.

Heartwood is pale reddish brown to reddish brown. Sapwood is pale yellowish brown with a slightly reddish color.

In Japan, it is called akagashi (赤樫 - あかがし), but is also known by the names oogashi (大樫 - オオガシ) and oobagashi (大葉樫 - オオバガシ). In Korea, it is called buggasinamu (북가시나무).

Like shirakashi (白樫 - しらかし) (Quercus myrsinifolia), whose wood is often called shirokashi outside of Japan, and other related sub-genera, Japanese Evergreen Oak, or akagashi, is a preferred choice for Japanese martial arts practice weapons such as bokken. This is due to its uniformly tight grain structure resulting from its continuous growing season. It should not be confused with the oriental or Asian white oak, Quercus aliena.



...
Wikipedia

...