カバノキ科クマシデ属の落葉中高木で、学名は Carpinus japonica。英名は Japanese hornbeam。
The Japanese hornbeam (Carpinus japonica) belongs to Betulaceae (the Birch family). It is a semi-tall deciduous tree that is distributed from Honshu to Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. This tree grows in montane streamsides and can reach about 15 m in height. The leaves are narrowly ovate to ovate-oblong, round or shallowly heart-shaped at the base, alternate. The leaves also have 20 to 24 pairs of parallel lateral veins. The drooping clusters are borne in May, as soon as foliation. The clusters are unique shaped and have overlapping bractlets. The wood is used for furniture, utensils, and firewood and charcoal.