ミズキ科ヤマボウシ属の落葉高木で、学名は Benthamidia japonica (syn. Cornus kousa)。英名は Japanese dogwood。
The Japanese dogwood (Benthamidia japonica) belongs to Cornaceae (the Dogwood family). It is a tall deciduous tree that is distributed from Honshu to Shikoku, Kyushu in Japan, as well as the Korean Peninsula and China. This tree grows in waste places of mountains or hillsides and can reach 10-15 m in height. The pure white flowers come in May to June. The involucral scales look like petals, and the 20-30 true flowers are arranged spherical at the center. The fruits ripen red in fall and edible. The woods are used as helve of farm equipment or furniture.