"Keyaki" redirects here. For several Japanese ships, see?. For the Japanese idol group, see?.
For another plant called "Japanese elm", see?.
Zelkova serrata?(Japanese zelkova,?Japanese elm,?keyaki,?or?keaki;?:?™Û (¥±¥ä¥) keyaki /˜² (¥Ä¥) tsuki;?:?é·Ê÷/™Î˜ä j¨³sh¨´;?:????? neutinamu) is a??of the genus???to?,?, eastern??and?.?It is often grown as an?, and used in?. There are two?,?Zelkova serrata?var.?serrata?in Japan and mainland eastern Asia, and?Zelkova serrata?var.?tarokoensis?(Hayata) Li on Taiwan which differs from the type in its smaller leaves with less deeply cut serration on the margins.
Description
Zelkova serrata?is a medium-sized??tree usually growing to 30?m (98?ft) tall. It is characterized by a short trunk dividing into many upright and erect spreading stems forming a broad, round-topped head. The tree grows rapidly when young though the growth rate slows to medium upon middle age and maturity.
It has alternately arranged leaves growing to 5?cm long and broad. The leaves themselves are simple and??to oblong-ovate with serrated or crenate margins, to which the tree owes its??serrata. The leaves are??or?, rounded or??at the base, and contain 8¨C14 pairs of veins. The leaves are rough on top and??or nearly glabrous on the underside. They are green to dark green in spring and throughout the summer, changing to yellows, oranges and reds in autumn. The??are?2¨C5?mm (1?16¨C3?16?in) long.
Zelkova serrata?is?. It develops flowers in spring with the leaves. Buds are ovoid, acutish, with many?, dark brown scales.?They diverge at a 45 degree angle from the stem. The??flowers are shortly??and approximately 3mm in diameter, clustered in the??of the lower leaves. The??flowers are solitary or few in axils of the upper leaves,??and usually about 1.5?mm in diameter. The flowers are yellow-green, not showy, and occur in tight groups along new stems. They give rise to small, ovate, wingless??that ripen in late summer to autumn. The drupe is green maturing to brown, subsessile and?2.5 to 3.5?mm (3?32?to?1?8?in) in diameter.
To identify?Zelkova serrata, one would look for a short main trunk, low branching and a vase-shaped habit. The twigs are slender with small, dark conical buds in a zigzag pattern. The branches are usually glabrous. The bark is grayish white to grayish brown and either smooth with? or exfoliating in patches to reveal orange inner bark. The branchlets are brownish-purple to brown.
