ミズタマソウの和名は花後に結ばれる可愛らしい果実に由来。一方、英名は霊薬と杖で人々の運命を狂わせる美貌の魔女キルケに由来します。
The Japanese name for Soft Enchanter’s Nightshade translates to “waterdrop plant,” named for the charming fruits that form after flowering. On the other hand, its English name derives from Circe, a beautiful enchantress from Greek mythology who altered human destinies with her wands and magical potions.
【仮名】ミズタマソウ
【和名】水玉草
【英名】Soft Enchanter’s Nightshade
【学名】Circaea mollis
【誕生】08/ 20
【開花】07, 08, 09月
【花色】White
ミズタマソウ
ミズタマソウの概要
ミズタマソウはアカバナ科の多年草です。東アジア温帯域の日本、朝鮮半島、中国から、南アジア亜熱帯域のヒマラヤまで分布。山野の湿り気のあるところで自生しています。和名は花後に結ばれる可愛らしい果実に由来。一方、英名は霊薬で人々の運命を狂わせる魔女に由来します。
ミズタマソウの名前
ミズタマソウの和名の由来は毛に覆われた丸い果実、または毛先に結ばれた朝露が水玉のようだから。属名キルカエアはギリシャ神話の魔女キルケに由来し、種小名モリスは「柔らかい毛」という意味です。英名エンチャンターズ・ナイトシェイドは「柔らかい魔女の茄子」という意味。
ミズタマソウの姿形
ミズタマソウは地下茎が這い伸び、節々から髭根を伸ばして土を掴みます。茎は直立し、軟毛が生え、節の付け根が赤色。葉は対生の長卵形で、縁に緩い鋸歯があります。花は萼片が２枚、心形の花弁が２枚、雄しべが２本。花後の堅果は鉤状毛で動物に付着し、遠くまで運ばれます。
ミズタマソウの逸話
ミズタマソウの属名キルカエアは美貌・美声の魔女キルケに由来。男たちを妖しい薬と魔法の杖で豚に変える一方、英雄オデュッセウスに惚れてすべてを捧げます。恋敵を怪物に変えたり、靡かない男を啄木鳥に変えたり…。恋情が献身に、嫉妬が報復に直結する可愛らしい悪女です。
Soft Enchanter’s Nightshade
Soft Enchanter’s Nightshade is a perennial herb belonging to the family Onagraceae. It is distributed across temperate East Asia—including Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and China—and extends to the subtropical regions of the Himalayas. It grows naturally in damp habitats throughout fields and mountains. Its Japanese name stems from the adorable fruits left behind after blooming, while its English common name is inspired by the legendary witch who threw human fates into disarray with her potions.
The Japanese name translates to “waterdrop plant,” referring to its round, hair-covered fruits or the morning dew clinging to the hair tips, which resemble tiny drops of water. The genus name Circaea is derived from the Greek myth of Circe, while the specific epithet mollis means “soft-haired.”
Soft Enchanter’s Nightshade spreads through creeping rhizomes, sprouting fibrous roots from their nodes to anchor itself in the soil. The stems grow upright and are covered in soft hairs, with distinctive red coloration at the base of each node. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, featuring an elongated oval shape with gently serrated margins. The flowers consist of two sepals, two heart-shaped petals, and two stamens. After blooming, the nutlet-like fruits cling to passing animals using hooked hairs, allowing them to be carried across long distances.
The genus name Circaea traces back to Circe, an enchantress famed for her captivating beauty and voice. Using bewitching potions and a magical wand, she famously transformed men into swine, yet fell deeply in love with the hero Odysseus, offering him her complete devotion. She was also known to turn her romantic rivals into monsters and those who rejected her into woodpeckers. She is a charming femme fatale whose intense passion leads to selfless devotion, and whose jealousy drives swift retribution.
