They are a deciduous shrub that grows wild in the forests in mountain areas. Cortex is tinged with dark brown and adult trees get shriveled vertically. The branches that extend are tinged with reddish green and slightly shiny. The leaves are egged-shaped about 6 to 12 cm long, about 3 to 6 cm wide with the sharp top as well as with a sawtooth (sawtooth: Kyoshi, serrated edges like a saw serrated edges at the tip of a leaf). The blossom seasons are about March to April and a dioecious plant (Shiyuuisyu). Before the leaves shoot, they sprout inflorescence (Kajo: stalk blooming flowers) about 4 to 10 cm to dangle white many hanging bell-shaped flowers about 8 mm long. Male flowers are inged with yellow, and female flowers are yellowish green. The seeds are elliptically-shaped spherical form tinged with indigo blue about 8 mm long. The seeds turn to green from yellow to get matured about in July to October. The reason for their name is that people use these seeds as a substitute for sumac gallnut (Fushi: gallnut of Japanese sumac) to make black colorant. This is why they are named ‘Stachyurus praecox’ (Kibushi).

●Height about 3 to 5 m
●Place Trail 1, Trail 5, Ura-Takao, Oku-Takao, Minami-Takao