Symplocos sawafutagi




Family Symplocaceae
Scientific name Symplocos sawafutagi Nagamasu
Synonyms Palura chinensis (Loureiro) Koidzumi var. pilosa Nakai; Palura paniculata (Thunberg) Nakai var. pilosa Nakai; Symplocos chinensis (Loureiro) Druce forma pilosa (Nakai) Ohwi; Symplocos chinensis (Loureiro) Druce subsp. pilosa (Nakai) Kitagawa; Symplocos chinensis (Loureiro) Druce var. leucocarpa (Nakai) Ohwi forma pilosa (Nakai) Ohwi
Common name (Japanese common name) sawafutagi (サワフタギ, 沢蓋木 [meaning: valley covering tree])
(English common name) none
Distribution (Japan) Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
(Other nations) Korea, China
Chromosomal number unknown
Description Plants 4-6m tall. Leaves 4-8cm long. Flowers white 7-8mm, inflorescences 3-6cm long, flowering in May to June. Fruits blue 6-7mm long. Deciduous. Shrub or subarbor trees.
Reference Phylogenetic analysis of Asian Symplocos (Symplocaceae) based on nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences
Symplocaceae of the Old World
Symplocos paniculata (Thunberg) Miquel
Dyed textile products and a method of producing them (US Patent 5221289/1992)
Method for detecting and ascertaining the presence of active ingredients in herbs (European Patent EP1367394/2003)
Agent for hair growth (European Patent EP1915997/2006)
Note GRIN and Flora of China have described that Symplocos chinensis (Loureiro) Druce forma pilosa (Nakai) Ohwi (synonym of Symplocos sawafutagi Nagamasu) might be a synonym of Symplocos paniculata (Thunberg) Miquel. Also some patents have been based on such opinions. However, Symplocos sawafutagi Nagamasu is obviously different species from Symplocos paniculata (Thunberg) Miquel. There has been confusion both in plant taxonomy and patent practices. Legal validity of such patents are in doubt.
Symplocos paniculata (Thunberg) Miquel occurs in Japan too. Color of fruit is black and Japanese common name is kuromi-no-sawafutagi [black fruits sawafutagi].



May 2008
at Mt. Tsukuba
May 2008
at Mt. Tsukuba
May 2008
at Mt. Tsukuba



May 2008
at Mt. Tsukuba
May 2008
at Mt. Tsukuba
May 2008
at Mt. Tsukuba



November 2007
at Ushiku Forest Park
November 2007
at Ushiku Forest Park
November 2007
at Ushiku Forest Park