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Picrasma
Picrasma quassioides
ニガキ
A deciduous tall tree native to Japanese mountains. The entire tree has an intensely bitter taste, giving rise to the name 'Nigaki' (bitter tree). The bark and wood are used in traditional medicine ('kuboku') as a stomachic, antipyretic, and detoxifying remedy. It bears red fruits in autumn.
Identification Points
- ✓Entire tree is extremely bitter (bark and leaves taste intensely bitter)
- ✓Odd-pinnately compound leaves (5–15 leaflets)
- ✓Small red drupes clustered in autumn
Habitat
Deciduous broadleaf forests of mountains
Season
May (flowers), September–October (fruits)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf type
Compound
Habitat
Mountain
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Phylogenetic Positionニガキ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Sapindales > Simaroubaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Simaroubaceae synthesizes bitter compounds (quassinoids) such as quassin and nigakilactone. These function as defense chemicals against herbivorous insects, with applications in medicine and pesticides under active research.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification