ケンポナシ
ケンポナシ

ケンポナシ

  • Japanese raisin tree
  • クロウメモドキ科ケンポナシ属
  • 日本

木目の美しい高級木

木目が美しいため、おもに床柱や落とし掛けなどの内装材や家具材、造作材として用いられる。樹木としては、果実が熟すと同時にその根元の枝が同じくらいの太さにふくらんで、梨のように甘くなり食べられるのが特色である。また、この枝は二日酔いに効くともいわれ、枝つき干し葡萄のような見た目になることから、Japanese raisin treeという英名がつけられた。葉や樹皮を煎じて茶のように飲むこともある。

Premium wood with a beautiful grain

Because of its beautiful grain, the wood is mainly used for interior fittings such as alcove posts and lintels, as well as for furniture and other woodworking. As a tree, it is distinctive in that when the fruit ripens, the branch at its base swells to about the same thickness and becomes sweet and edible, like a pear. This branch is also said to be effective against hangovers, and because it looks like a cluster of raisins still attached to the stem, the tree is known in English as the Japanese raisin tree. Its leaves and bark are sometimes boiled and drunk like tea.