Particulars

Arboretum name: Dashikiya: Randia
Japanese name: Shimamisaonoki
Species / Family: Randia canthioides Champ. ex Benth./Rubiaceae
Okinawan name: Dashicha, Dashika, Dasuke

Plant Characteristics

Shimamisao-no-ki, or Randia canthioides Camp. ex Benth is an evergreen shrub that grows on the forest floors of mountains. Spreading out as far as Amami Oshima Island to the north, Shimamisao-no-ki is found on Tokunoshima Island, Okinawa Island, Kumeshima Island, Ishigakijima Island, Nishiomotejima Island, and Yonagunijima Island, as well as in Taiwan and southern China. The trunk is straight, and is highly elastic. The bark has a hint of black in its color. It has dark green leaves that grow 8–15 cm wide, and produces white flowers at the beginning of each summer. Growing upright, the tree is thin, long and taught. There is a myth that the Buddhist monk Taichushonin, who introduced Pure Land Buddhism to the land of Ryukyu, wrote in his journal that, “When the Gods of the Ryukyu-Kaibyaku, Amamikiyo and Shinerikiyo first established a nation, they planted Shimamisao-no-ki trees to create mountains.”

Uses

Wood: Resistant Materials, Materials for Hafts or Handles, Roof-rafters and Railroad-crossties, Shipbuilding Materials, Building Materials, Tree Stands for Hunting, Fishing Tools, Charms/Shrines

Calendar of best viewing periods

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