スイレンボクの和名の由来は、花が「睡蓮」に似ている「木」だから。花は萼片５枚と花弁５枚が似ていて、花弁が10枚あるように見えます。
The Japanese name of Lavender Star Flower means “water lily tree” because the flower resembles a water lily. The flower has five sepals and five petals, so it looks like it has 10 petals.
【仮名】スイレンボク
【和名】睡蓮木
【英名】Lavender Star Flower, Crossberry
【学名】Grewia occidentalis
【誕生】11/ 08
【開花】06, 07, 08, 09月
【花色】Purple, Violet
スイレンボク
スイレンボクの概要
スイレンボクはアオイ科ウオトリギ属の蔓性常緑低木。南アフリカ共和国の東ケープ州やクワズール・ナタール州などで自生しています。寒さに弱いため、日本では冬に落葉しないよう、鉢植えに。気品のある花姿から「純潔」、柔らかい花色から「優しさ」という花言葉があります。
スイレンボクの名前
スイレンボクの和名の由来は、花が「睡蓮」に似ている「木」だから。英名の由来は花がラベンダーのような色で、星のような形だからです。ラテン語の属名グレウィアは17～18世紀の英国の植物学者ネヘミア・グルーへの献名。種小名オキシデンタリスは「⻄⽅の」という意味です。
スイレンボクの姿形
スイレンボクの木は枝が４稜で盛んに分岐します。葉は楕円形で互生。表面に鈍い光沢、縁に粗い鋸歯があります。花は萼片が５枚、花弁が５枚、雄しべが多数。萼片と花弁が似ていて、花弁が10枚あるように見えます。花後は４裂の液果を結実。英名でクロスベリーとも呼ばれます。
スイレンボクの利用
スイレンボクは果実が甘く、原産地の南アフリカ共和国では生食のほか、ミルク煮、ビールの醸造などにも用いられます。樹皮は洗髪のほか、切り傷や潰瘍、炎症に外用、下痢などに内用。根は不妊症や勃起不全に、枝は弓や槍、農具に、葉は牛や山羊など家畜の飼料に用いられます。
Lavender Star Flower
Lavender Star Flower is a climbing evergreen shrub of the Malvaceae family. It grows wild in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa. Because it is weak to cold, it is potted in Japan to prevent the leaves from falling off in winter. The flower language is “purity” due to its elegant flower shape and “kindness” due to its soft flower color.
The Japanese name of Lavender Star Flower means “water lily tree” because the flower resembles a water lily. The English name comes from the flower’s lavender color and star-shaped shape. The Latin genus name Grewia is a tribute to Nehemiah Grew, a British botanist from the 17th and 18th centuries. The specific name occidentalis means “western”.
The Lavender Star Flower tree has four-sided branches that branch out vigorously. The leaves are elliptical and alternate. The leaves have a dull luster on the surface and rough sawtooth edges. The flower has five sepals, five petals, and many stamens. The sepals and petals of the flower are similar, making it look like there are ten petals. After flowering, it produces a four-lobed fruit. For this reason, it is also called Crossberry in English.
The fruit of Lavender Star Flower is sweet, and in its native South Africa, it is eaten raw, boiled in milk, and used to brew beer. The bark is used to wash hair, and is applied externally to cuts, ulcers, and inflammation, and internally to treat diarrhea. The roots are used to treat infertility and erectile dysfunction, the branches are used for bows, spears, and farm tools, and the leaves are used as feed for livestock such as cows and goats.
