''Carpinus laxiflora'', the aka-shide, loose-flower hornbeam, or loose-flowered hornbeam, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Betulaceae Betulaceae, the birch family, includes six genera of deciduous nut-bearing trees and shrubs, including the birches, alders, hazels, hornbeams, hazel-hornbeam, and hop-hornbeams, numbering a total of 167 species. They are mostly natives of ...

, native to the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. A deciduous tree of mountain forests, and typically tall, it is used in

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

, and rarely as a park or

street tree Urban forestry is the care and management of single trees and tree populations in Urban area, urban settings for the purpose of improving the urban environment. Urban forestry involves both planning and management, including the programming of ...

. It is available from commercial suppliers. In addition to the rather rustic unimproved species, a weeping form called 'Pendula', and a sport with variegated leaves called 'Variegata' are available.

References

laxiflora Plants used in bonsai Trees of Korea Trees of Japan Plants described in 1851 Taxa named by Philipp Franz von Siebold Taxa named by Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini {{Fagales-stub