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"Ubame-gashi" (Quercus phillyraeoides) belongs to Fagaceae (the Beech family). It is a semi-tall evergreen tree that is distributed from Chiba Prefecture of Honshu south to Shikoku, Kyushu in Japan, as well as the Korean Peninsula and China. It grows in warm coastal mountainous areas and grows up to 10 m high. The leaves are thick, broadly elliptic, and bluntly serrated. The Japanese name comes from the dark brown color of the young shoots in early spring, which resemble the color of an old lady's or horse's eyes. The wood is dense and hard, and is used as a raw material for "bincho-tan" (charcoal).
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