ヒュウガミズキは小ぶりにまとまった木、繊細で落ち着いた枝、小さく可愛らしい花々。控えめながら、暑さ、寒さに強く、丈夫に育ちます。
Buttercup Winter Hazel is cherished for its neat, compact habit, delicate branches, and charming small flowers. While modest and understated in appearance, it is a hardy shrub, resilient to both heat and cold.
【仮名】ヒュウガミズキ, ヒメミズキ
【和名】日向水木, 姫水木
【英名】Buttercup Winter Hazel
【学名】Corylopsis pauciflora
【誕生】03/ 14, 03/ 19, 03/ 23
【開花】03, 04月
【花色】Yellow
ヒュウガミズキ
ヒュウガミズキの概要
ヒュウガミズキはマンサク科トサミズキ属の落葉低木です。日本では本州の日本海側、国外では台湾北部の高地に分布。姿形が似る近縁種「土佐水木」に比べ、小ぶりにまとまった木、繊細で落ち着いた枝、小さく可愛らしい花々。控えめながら、暑さ、寒さに強く、丈夫に育ちます。
ヒュウガミズキの和名
ヒュウガミズキの和名の「日向」は、日向国（現在の宮崎県）でなく、戦国武将・明智光秀の官職「日向守」に由来。領地である丹波・丹後地方（京都府北部）に自生していたからです。「水木」は春先に水分を多く含む枝を伸ばすから。別名「姫水木」は小さな水木という意味です。
ヒュウガミズキの英名
ヒュウガミズキの英名バターカップ・ウインター・ヘーゼルは「早春（冬の終わり）、金鳳花のような花を咲かせ、榛のような葉を広げる」という意味。属名コリロプシスは「（葉が）榛に似ている」、種小名パウキフロラは「（近縁種の土佐水木より）花が少ない」という意味です。
ヒュウガミズキの姿形
ヒュウガミズキは細根が浅く広がります。木は叢状で仮軸分枝。葉は互生の広卵形で、縁に鋭い鋸歯があります。花は小さく、枝に１～３つずつ吊り下がり、花弁が５枚、雄しべが５本、雌しべの柱頭が２裂。葯が黄色、柱頭が赤色です。花後は蒴果を結び、熟すと種子を弾いて散布。
Buttercup Winter Hazel
Buttercup Winter Hazel (Corylopsis pauciflora) is a deciduous shrub in the witch-hazel family (Hamamelidaceae). It is native to the Sea of Japan side of Honshu and the highlands of northern Taiwan. Compared to its close relative, Corylopsis spicata, which has a similar form, this species is more petite and refined, with slender branches and lovely, small blossoms. Despite its quiet presence, it is remarkably robust and easy to grow.
The Japanese name, Hyuga Mizuki, has a historical connection. “Hyuga” comes from the official title of Akechi Mitsuhide, a prominent 16th-century samurai commander. The name was chosen because the plant grew wild in his territories of Tanba and Tango (northern Kyoto Prefecture). “Mizuki” translates to “Water Tree,” a name inspired by how its branches become rich with sap in early spring. It is also affectionately known as “Little Mizuki.”
The English name reflects its characteristics: it produces buttercup-like flowers in late winter or early spring, followed by foliage that resembles hazel leaves. Its botanical name, Corylopsis, means “resembling hazel,” while the species name pauciflora means “few-flowered”—referring to the fact that it bears fewer blossoms per cluster than C. spicata.
Buttercup Winter Hazel has a shallow, spreading root system and grows in a multi-stemmed, sympodial pattern. Its alternate, broadly ovate leaves feature sharply serrated margins. The small flowers hang in delicate clusters of one to three. Each blossom has five petals, five stamens with bright yellow anthers, and a red-tipped, two-lobed stigma. After flowering, it forms capsules that burst open to disperse their seeds once ripe.
