Tilia kiusiana

Flower name
Tilia kiusiana
Scientific name
Tilia kiusiana
Alias箆の木, 箆木
Place of originendemic to Japan
Place of floweringGarden, Low mountains
Flowering seasonJuly

What is Tilia kiusiana

Tilia kiusiana, or heranoki (scientific name: Tilia kiusiana) is a deciduous tree in the family Malvales, genus Tilia, and is endemic to Japan. It grows naturally in Honshu (Nara Prefecture and western part of the Chugoku region), Shikoku, and Kyushu. The tree is 10-15 m tall with a trunk diameter of 60 cm. The bark is grayish brown and peels off in longitudinal lobes and scales. The leaves are 4 to 8 cm long, 2 to 5 cm wide, and irregularly ovate. The leaves are dark green on the front and green on the underside. The leaf margins are irregularly serrated and attached to the branches in alternate clusters.

Inflorescence dioecious
The flowers are dioecious. 10 or more pale yellow, five-petaled flowers are produced in July in axillary panicles, which are arranged in a downward direction and united with spatulate bracts below the midpoint of the inflorescence axis. There is one seed inside. It is mainly used as a garden tree, rarely for tools, and in the past, the inner bark was used to extract fiber for making clothes, rope, and other items.

Origin of flower name
The name "Tilia" was given by Dr. Makino because of the spatula-shaped involucre attached to the inflorescence. The genus name "Tilia" is derived from the Latin word "tilia," meaning lime tree, and the species name "kiusiana" means Kyushu.

Common name: Tilia kiusiana, or heranoki, (scientific name: Tilia kiusiana), origin: Japan, habitat distribution: Honshu (Nara Prefecture, western part of Chugoku Region), Shikoku, Kyushu, Japan, life form: deciduous tree, height: 10-15 m, form: erect Diameter of trunk: 60 cm, Bark: grayish brown, longitudinally lobed, exfoliating in scales, Leaf color: dark green (front), green (back), Leaf length: 4-8 cm, leaf width: 2-5 cm, Leaf shape: snouted, ovate with a narrowly pointed tip, Leaf margin: irregular, serrate, phyllaries: alternate, dioecious, Flowering season: July, Inflorescence shape: condensed inflorescence, inflorescence peduncle: spatula-shaped Flowering season: July; inflorescence form: clustered inflorescence; inflorescence peduncle: spatula-shaped; corolla: five-petaled; flower color: pale yellow; flowering direction: downward; spathe length on petiole: 4 to 6 cm; fruiting season: October; fruit type: kernel fruit; fruit shape: small, densely hairy; fruit diameter: 0.5 cm; fruit color: light orange; seed: 1; uses: garden tree, tool material, inner bark for clothing, rope and other fibers.