Leaf litter production was investigated from 1973-1982 in a plantation of A. inokumae. The annual total leaf-fall was relatively constant with a mean of 340 m-2 yr-1 except for 2 yr when leaf-fall was about 100 g m-2 yr-1 less due to outbreaks of winter-moth larvae. The seasonal pattern of leaf-fall was bimodal with peaks in summer and autumn in most years. Of the total leaf-fall, 20-35% had occurred by the end of July and 30-60% by the end of Aug. This summer leaf-fall consisted mainly of the 3 basal leaves on each shoot. The large summer leaf-fall together with the long period of leaf-emergence are considered to be adaptive to open, mesic sites.