''Quercus phillyreoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''

Quercus An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

'', placed in subgenus ''Cerris'' and section ''Ilex''. It is evergreen, withstands frost and can be grown in hardiness zone 7. It is native to southern China, the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

, and Japan, and has been introduced to Korea.

Uses

The Japanese use ''Quercus phillyreoides'' or ubame oak to produce

binchōtan ''Binchō-tan'' (, ), also called white charcoal or ''binchō-zumi,'' is a type of high-quality charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Its use dates back to the Edo period when during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bichū-ya Ch� ...

, a traditional variety of vegetal

activated carbon Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon commonly used to filter contaminants from water and air, among many other uses. It is processed (activated) to have small, low-volume pores that greatly increase the surface ar ...

. It has found use as a

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 ...

in a number of European cities.

References

phillyreoides Flora of South-Central China Flora of Southeast China Flora of the Ryukyu Islands Flora of Japan Plants described in 1859 {{Quercus-stub