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Cleyera japonica

Sakaki

Pentaphylacaceae

Japan, Korea, Taiwan, southern China, and the eastern Himalaya

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Fragrant (moderate)Container Friendly

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 7–10

Overview

Cleyera japonica is an evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 8-15 feet (2.4-4.5 m) tall and 6-10 feet (1.8-3 m) wide in cultivation, and 25-30 feet (7.6-9 m) in forest. Branches are held in horizontal tiers with leaves arranged in two ranks along them, producing flattened sprays. Leaves are oblong-elliptic, 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) long and 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm) wide, leathery, entire-margined, glossy dark green above and paler beneath; new growth emerges bronze-red in April and May and turns green over 4-6 weeks. Terminal buds are narrow, curved, and 0.4-0.6 inch (10-15 mm) long. Creamy white flowers 0.5 inch (1.2 cm) across with five petals hang in clusters of one to three from the leaf axils in June and July and carry a scent of ripe fruit. Berries 0.3 inch (8 mm) across ripen from red to black between September and November and are taken by birds. Growth runs 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) per year, so plants reach screening height in 8-12 years. Foliage scorches on the exposed side where afternoon temperatures pass 90F (32C) without shade, and plants defoliate at 5F (-15C) with stems dying back near 0F (-18C).

Native Range

Cleyera japonica grows in evergreen broadleaf forest and forest margins in southern Japan from Honshu to the Ryukyu Islands, and in Korea, Taiwan, southern China, and the eastern Himalaya from Nepal to northeastern India. It occupies shaded, humid slopes on acidic soils at 650-6,500 feet (200-2,000 m) elevation. The species holds ritual status in Shinto practice, and cut branches are used in shrine offerings across Japan.

Suggested Uses

Planted as an evergreen screen or informal hedge in zones 7-10 at 5-8 foot (1.5-2.4 m) spacing, and as a single shrub in shaded courtyards and woodland gardens. Container culture uses pots of 15 gallons (57 L) or larger in shade with year-round moisture. Branches are cut for Shinto shrine offerings and for arrangement work and hold 10-14 days in water. Growth of 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) per year means a screen takes 8-12 years to close, which limits use where quicker cover is needed.

How to Identify

Terminal buds are narrow, curved, and sickle-shaped at 0.4-0.6 inch (10-15 mm) long, which separates the species from Ternstroemia gymnanthera, whose buds are short and blunt and whose leaves cluster at the shoot tips rather than spreading in two ranks. Leaves are oblong-elliptic, 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) long with entire margins and no teeth, glossy above, and held in flat two-ranked sprays along horizontal branches. New growth is bronze-red for 4-6 weeks in spring. Plants sold in the North American nursery trade under this name are frequently T. gymnanthera.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8' - 15'

Width/Spread6' - 10'

Reaches mature size in approximately 12 years

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Summer

Flowers open in June and July, 1-2 weeks later in zone 7 than in zones 9-10. Bloom on a plant lasts 2-3 weeks, with clusters of one to three flowers hanging from the leaf axils of the previous season growth. The scent is strongest in the evening and carries 6-10 feet (1.8-3 m). Plants flower from year 4-6, and shearing after May removes the flower buds for that season.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

glossy dark green, bronze-red on new growth

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 6.5(Acidic)

357912

Soil Types

loam peat sand

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

8-12 years to full size

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Plants take 1 inch (25 mm) of water weekly through the first two seasons and go 2-3 weeks without rain once established, dropping interior leaves in longer droughts. Soil pH above 6.5 causes yellowing between the leaf veins, and iron chelate applied in spring corrects it within 4-6 weeks. Foliage scorches on the sun-facing side where afternoon temperatures exceed 90F (32C) without shade, and plants in zones 9-10 grow under high canopy or on north and east aspects. Scale insects colonise leaf undersides and stems in still air, and sooty mould follows on the honeydew. Growth of 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) per year means a screen takes 8-12 years to close. Cold at 5F (-15C) strips the foliage and stems die back near 0F (-18C), with regrowth from the base where the root zone stays unfrozen.

Pruning

Pruning is carried out immediately after flowering in late June or July, since flower buds for the following season form on growth made from August onward. Cuts are made back to a side branch rather than sheared, which preserves the layered branch structure and the two-ranked leaf sprays. Taking whole stems out at the base thins a crowded plant without triggering the dense regrowth that follows shearing. Plants tolerate renewal cuts to 18-24 inches (45-60 cm) in April, regrowing to 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8 m) over 4-5 seasons.

Pruning Schedule

summer