| + | Myrica rubra, Sieb. & Zucc. (M. Nagi, DC., not Thunb.). Shrub or small tree: branchlets slightly pubescent: lvs. oblong-lanceolate, acutish, cuneate, entire or serrate above the middle, dark green above, paler beneath, glabrous, 3-5 in. long: staminate catkins cylindric; stamens 6-10: fr. globose or ovoid, tuberculate, deep red- purple, ½l in. across; stone ovoid, compressed. April, May; fr. in July. S. China, Japan. B.M. 5727. S.I.F. 2:6.—Cult. for its edible fr. There is a variety with rose-colored finer flavored fr. The berries are vinous and sweet with a pleasant acid taste and are used like blackberries; the fresh juice makes an agreeable beverage. The tree is supposed to stand about 15° of frost. Intro, in 1889. The M. Nagi, Thunb., is Podocarpus Nagi. |