ミカン科ミヤマシキミ属の常緑小低木で、学名は Skimmia japonica。英名は Japanese skimmia。
The Japanese skimmia (Skimmia japonica) belongs to Rutaceae (the Citrus family). It is an evergreen shrub that is distributed southward from Miyagi prefecture of Honshu to Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. This shrub grows in mountain forests and can reach 1-1.5 m in height. The leaves are oblong, leathery, glossy and arranged in alternate. They content poisonous alkaloid. The panicles are borne at the terminal branches and the white flowers bloom from April to May. The flowers are sweet scented.