noun
Chinese mulberry (Morus bombycis)
A mulberry species native to East Asia, historically cultivated for silkworm feed. In everyday contexts, simply referred to as ヤマグワ.
ヤマグワの葉は蚕の餌として使われてきた。
The leaves of the Chinese mulberry have been used as feed for silkworms.
noun
kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)
A flowering dogwood species native to East Asia, producing edible red fruit. Often confused with ヤマボウシ, which is a different species.
See also: ヤマボウシ
ヤマグワはヤマボウシとよく間違えられる。
ヤマグワ is often mistaken for ヤマボウシ (kousa dogwood).
ヤマボウシ is a different species of dogwood (Cornus kousa var. chinensis) with larger, showier bracts; ヤマグワ refers to the typical kousa dogwood.
Compound of 山 (yama, 'mountain') and 桑 (kuwa, 'mulberry') or グワ (kuwa) for the dogwood sense. The exact origin of the dogwood sense is uncertain; it may be a homophone or a separate word.