Rhaphiolepis umbellata or Sexton's bride[2] 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.[3]
| Rhaphiolepis umbellata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Rhaphiolepis |
| Species: | R. umbellata
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhaphiolepis umbellata | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4] 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.[5]
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. [6][7]
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.[8]
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The veins of the leaves are obvious and special. -
The sprouts are covered with white fluff. -
The sprouts and the leaves. -
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Fruits look somewhat like little figs.
References
edit- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
- ^ "Sexton's Bride (Rhaphiolepis umbellata)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
- ^ 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. Bibcode:1983PChem..22.1659N. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(83)80105-8.
- ^ "About Ooshima Tsumugimura｜Ooshima Tsumugi Mura".
- ^ "Oshima Tsumugi and Mud Dyeing" (PDF).
- ^ "花咲く生垣におすすめ「シャリンバイ（車輪梅）」 – お庭から始まる豊かなグリーンライフ「庭サポ」".
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