Rhaphiolepis umbellata is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Growing to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and wide, it is an evergreen shrub with glossy oval leaves, and scented white flowers, sometimes tinged with pink, in early summer.[2]
Rhaphiolepis umbellata | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Rosales |
Family: | Rosaceae |
Genus: | Rhaphiolepis |
Species: | R. umbellata
|
Binomial name | |
Rhaphiolepis umbellata | |
Synonyms[1] | |
|
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3] It is used in Japan as an astringent and a dyeing agent. The bark contains (−)-catechin 7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside and (+)-catechin 5-0-β-d-glucopyranoside.[4]
Uses
editKnown as Sharinbai (車輪梅) in Japan and as Techigi in Amami Oshima, this plant is used to create a dye to create the highly valued Ōshima-tsumugi kimono. The bark of the tree is chopped into chips and boiled for over 10 hours. This tannin rich decoction serves as a dye for the silk threads. After dyeing, the threads are then dyed in mud from paddy fields rich in iron content for post-mordanting until they turn black. [5][6]
Additionally, due to its resilience to drying and air pollution, Sharinbai trees are planted along roadsides. Their glossy evergreen leaves make them suitable for garden planting, enduring well against frequent pruning.[7]
-
The veins of the leaves are obvious and special.
-
The sprouts are covered with white fluff.
-
The sprouts and the leaves.
-
Fruits look somewhat like little figs.
References
edit- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
- ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Rhaphiolepis umbellata". Retrieved 30 May 2013.
- ^ Gen-Ichiro Nonaka; Emiko Ezakia; Katsuya Hayashia; Itsuo Nishioka (1983). "Flavanol glucosides from rhubarb and Rhaphiolepis umbellata". Phytochemistry. 22 (7): 1659–61. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(83)80105-8.
- ^ https://www.tumugi.co.jp/english/index.html [bare URL]
- ^ https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/common/001564412.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ https://www.919g.co.jp/blog/?p=4915 [bare URL]