Category:

Municipally Designated Natural Monument

Title:

Shojoin no sarusuberi

The Crape Myrtle Tree of Shojoin Temple

清浄院のサルスベリ

No. of features:

One tree

Designated:

Feb 7, 1986

Location:

Shojoin Temple, 1-36-2 Yoshinocho, Kita Ward

Owner:

The religious juridical person of Shojoin Temple

Description:

At the time of this tree’s designation, it measured 9.5 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 1.43 meters.

The crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) produces pretty, lilac flowers around August. The bark is reddish-brown, and since even monkeys struggle to climb its smooth surface it was given the name ‘monkey slide’ (sarusuberi) in Japanese. Because of their long flowering period, crape myrtles are also called "hyakujitsuko" (lit. "one hundred days red"). Due to their slow rate of growth, such a large specimen of crape myrtle is rarely seen in the suburbs.

Associated Texts:

(1987). “Cultural Properties in Omiya” (vol. 3). Omiya Municipal Board of Education.

Please be courteous towards other visitors, locals, and the site’s owners/curators when visiting this cultural property.

Inquiries (Japanese only)

Cultural Heritage Preservation Division, Department of Lifelong Learning, Board of Education Secretariat　

TEL：048-829-1723 FAX：048-829-1989

https://www.city.saitama.jp/004/005/006/001/005/002/003/p000599.html