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The "Yaeyama-kokutan" (Diospyros ferrea var. buxifolia) belongs to Ebenaceae (the Ebony family). It is a semi-tall evergreen tree that is native to the Okinawa Islands in Japan, Taiwan, southern China and tropical Asia. This tree can reach about 8 m in heght. The leaves are obovate to obovate-elliptic, thick and alternate. The pale yellowish-green flowers bloom in May to June. The corolla is bell-shaped with trilobate tips. The fruits are elliptic, 1.5-2 cm long berries, and ripen in yellow to dark red. The timbers are very hard and used for furnitures or equipments. In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "Û‰åŠ`" and "Û‰åŽ÷" (xiang ya shu) in Chinese.
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