Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Spicebush🌿
Lindera umbellata
クロモジ
A deciduous shrub in the laurel family. Named 'Kuromoji' (black letters) after the dark markings on its bark. The aromatic wood is used to make premium toothpicks, and the toothpick itself is sometimes called 'kuromoji'. Also used for herbal tea and aromatherapy oil.
Identification Points
- ✓Dark greenish-black markings on branches
- ✓Elliptic leaves clustered at branch tips, turning yellow in autumn
- ✓Small yellowish-green flowers in umbels in early spring
Habitat
Mountain mixed forests
Season
March to April (flowers), October (fruit)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Elliptic
Growth form
Shrub
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Flower color
Yellow
Flowering season
Spring
Habitat
Mountain
Phylogenetic Positionクスノキ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Magnoliids > Laurales > Lauraceae
Divergence Era
Early Cretaceous (approx. 120 million years ago onward)
Sources & References
📖Wikipedia 日本語版↗
🤖Claude AI生成（未確認）Wikipediaリードを根拠に生成。要確認。
AI-generated, needs verification