ホタルブクロの名前の由来は子どもたちが捕まえたホタルを袋のような形の花の中に入れて遊んだからという幻想的な説があります。
There is a fantastic theory that the name of the bellflower is derived from the fact that the fireflies caught by children are put in a flower shaped like a bag and played.
【仮名】ホタルブクロ, ツリガネソウ
【和名】蛍袋, 釣鐘草
【英名】Bellflower
【学名】Campanula punctata
【誕生】06/ 05, 06/ 27, 07/ 10, 11/ 26
【開花】06, 07月
【花色】White, Pink, Purple
ホタルブクロ
ホタルブクロはキキョウ科の多年草で別名・釣鐘草（つりがねそう）。 ５月下旬～７月に大きな釣鐘状の花を咲かせます。
ホタルのシーズンに花が咲くホタルブクロですが、名前の由来は子どもたちが捕まえたホタルを袋のような形の花の中に入れて遊んだから。花言葉の「正義」「忠節」「貞節」も、花がまるで教会の鐘のようだから。ホタルブクロが英語でBellflowerと呼ばれるのもそのためです。
ホタルブクロの花の色は、関東で赤紫、関西で白が優勢です。各地に山蛍袋、島蛍袋、石立蛍袋、黄花蛍袋、白糸蛍袋といった系統があります。ホタルブクロに似た花として、同じキキョウ科のカンパニュラがあります。ホタルブクロの花が下を向いて咲くのに対し、カンパニュラの花は上向きに咲くので区別できます。
さて、ホタルブクロの名前の由来に戻ると、昔は提灯が「火垂（ほたる）」と呼ばれ、その提灯の形と似ているからという説もあります。虫のホタルも同じ語源です。こちらの説のほうが子どもたちの遊びより説得力はあります。でも夏の夜、釣鐘状の花の中にホタルが入り込んで、ホタルブクロが灯ったり消えたりしたら幻想的でしょうね。
Bellflower
This Campanula is a perennial plant of the Bellflower family, also known as bellflower. Large bell-shaped flowers come in late May to July.
The bellflower blooms during the firefly season, but the name comes from the fact that the fireflies caught by the children are put in a bag-shaped flower and played. The flower words “justice,” “loyalty,” and “chastity” are also because the flowers are like church bells. That is why the bellflower is called Bellflower in English.
The color of campanula flowers is predominantly magenta in the Kanto region and white in the Kansai region. There are various systems such as mountain bellflower, island bellflower, stone bellflower, yellow flower bellflower, and white thread bellflower. As a flower similar to campanula, there is Campanula of the same Bellflower family. The bellflower flowers bloom downwards, while the campanula flowers bloom upwards, which makes them distinguishable.
Now, returning to the origin of the name of campanula, there is a theory that the lantern was called “hotaru” in the old days and it resembles the shape of the lantern. Insect firefly is the same etymology. This theory is more persuasive than children’s play. But on a summer night, it would be fantastic if fireflies got into the bell-shaped flowers and the bellflowers turned on and off.
