Machilus thunbergii seed
LATIN NAME: MACHILUS THUNBERGII
COMMON NAME: Red Machilus
Along the coastal hills and the evergreen woods of the east, the red machilus grows as a tall, dense, evergreen tree with the leathery, obovate, dark-green leaves clustered at the branch tips and the small, yellow-green flowers in loose panicles, the small, black, berry-like fruits ripening on the red stalks in the summer. It steadily establishes a rounded crown, eventually 5-10 metres tall. Give it full sun and deep, fertile ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The red machilus comes up in the studies of the laurel family of the eastern coasts, its clustered leaves and its black berries on red stalks keeping it in view in the work on the evergreen broadleaf forests and the timber trees of the warm regions. The research looks at the way the leathery leaves hold the coastal wind, the black berries ripen on their red stalks, and the seed biology of the short-lived, oily seeds.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the coastal garden and the evergreen woodland, the red machilus carries the dense, glossy crown and sets the black berries on their striking red stalks that catch the eye in the summer. The fine timber has served the cabinet makers of the region, and the tree makes the fine specimen, the coastal tree and the evergreen of the mild garden. It is a tree for the open, sunny, deep and well-drained place.
To grow the Red Machilus from seed, sow the fresh berries at once on moist, leafy soil, as the seeds hate drying.
Sow the fresh berries at once on moist, leafy soil, as the seeds hate drying, and keep the young trees in the sheltered, shaded spot. The black berries ripen on their red stalks.
LATIN NAME: Machilus thunbergii
COMMON NAME: Japanese Bay Tree, Red Machilus, Tabunoki
The Japanese bay tree is a sturdy and useful evergreen of the eastern Asian forest, and it has served people for centuries. The species develops an upright, columnar form, around sixty centimetres high. It is a tree of quiet good looks and many practical uses, valued for its timber and for the bark of its roots, which is the source of a fine powder, called makko, used to make a mosquito-repelling incense in Japan.
The Japanese bay tree belongs to the laurel family, Lauraceae, and it is native to Vietnam, Taiwan, southeastern and north-central China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Growth leads to a low, spreading mat, up to a metre tall.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing a Japanese bay tree from seed is easy and very rewarding. The seeds sit inside the small, dark fruits, and they are best sown fresh, since they lose vigour quickly. Clean the seed and sow it in pots of free-draining compost, about a centimetre deep, and keep it warm, bright and evenly moist. Germination usually begins within three to six weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny or partly shaded, sheltered spot in reasonably good, moist soil, protecting them from harsh cold. A seed-raised Japanese bay tree will grow into a fine, glossy evergreen.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Japanese bay tree has a genuine and interesting record in both traditional and modern research. In Japan, the bark of the roots has been used for centuries to make makko, a fine powder used to make mosquito-repelling incense, and researchers have studied this traditional use and the chemistry behind it, while the tree has also been used in traditional medicine in parts of Asia. As a member of the laurel family, it is of interest in phytochemical research, since the laurels contain a range of aromatic and bioactive compounds. The tree has also been studied in forestry for its timber, which is hard and fine-grained, valued for furniture and other work, and in horticulture for its use as a street tree in southern cities. For a tree of such quiet usefulness and such interesting chemistry, the Japanese bay tree has a steady and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the Japanese bay tree is a generous tree of the eastern Asian forest. Its small flowers feed bees and other pollinators, its dark fruits feed birds, and its dense evergreen canopy gives shelter and nesting sites for wildlife throughout the year.
Its economic value is real and varied. The timber is valued for furniture and other work, the bark of the roots is the traditional source of makko powder for mosquito-repelling incense in Japan, and the tree is also planted as a street and ornamental tree in southern cities for its glossy evergreen foliage. For a grower, the Japanese bay tree is a useful and handsome tree, and for a gardener it brings the glossy, evergreen character of the eastern Asian forest.