Dendropanax Trifidus 隠れ蓑（カクレミノ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The Dendropanax trifidus is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan. The tree produces male and hermaphrodite flowers from June to July and then fruits, which turn black purple in late autumn. 

Its Japanese name is "kakuremino," which translates into "invisibility cloak," after the leaf looking like Tengu's magic cloak, which makes the wearer invisible like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. Tengu are a type of mischievous yokai (supernatural beings) appearing in Japanese folklore. Imagining Harry Potter wearing Tengu's cloak made me chuckle😆.

The Dendropanax trifidus leaves change generally from a lobed to an ovate shape but some aren't lobed or ovate, which makes it difficult to identify the tree.  

2026/6/27

2023/7/21

Oriental Arborvitae (Platycladus Orientalis) コノテガシワ（児の手柏）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I've always wondered what they are when passing by them for the last couple years and today, I did research, finding they're cones of the Oriental arborvitae. The tree is native to China and can be found across Japan.  

The Oriental arborvitae is hermaphroditic, producing orangish beige male and female flowers on the same tree from March to April, which I completely missed this year. 

2026/6/11

Chinese Fringetree (Chionanthus Retusus) ヒトツバタゴ（一つ葉タゴ）/ナンジャモンジャ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are flowers of a Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus). The Chinese fringetree is native to China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan and can be found across Japan. The tree produces beautiful white flowers from April to May (which, before fully open, look to me like aliens floating in the air) and black fruits (scroll down) from September to October, which are inedible and avoided even by birds.

The Chinese fringetree has male and hermaphrodite trees, the same as the Japanese ternstroemia (Ternstroemia gymnanthera). I did research to find out the sex of the tree but in vain.  

2026/4/26