チゴユリの和名の「稚児」の由来は、小さな白色の花が幼い子どものように可愛らしいからです。花言葉は「恥ずかしがり屋」「純潔」など。
The Japanese name of Disporum smilacinum means “the small white flowers are as cute as a young child.” The language of flowers is “shy”, “purity”, etc.
【仮名】チゴユリ
【和名】稚児百合
【英名】Disporum smilacinum
【学名】Disporum smilacinum
【誕生】04/ ??
【開花】04, 05, 06月
【花色】White
チゴユリ
チゴユリの概要
チゴユリはイヌサフラン科チゴユリ属の多年草です。日本では北海道から九州まで、国外では朝鮮半島から中国まで分布し、山地から平地まで落葉樹林内に自生。和名の「稚児」は小さな白色の花が幼い子どものように可愛らしいからです。花言葉は「恥ずかしがり屋」「純潔」など。
チゴユリの姿形
チゴユリは株の周りに根茎が伸長、その先端で新芽を形成。茎は細くしなやかで、地を這うように伸びます。葉は先の尖った楕円形で互生。花は茎先で少し俯くように咲いて半開します。白色の花被片が６枚、薄い黄緑色の雄しべが６本、雌しべが３裂。花後は黒色の液果が熟します。
チゴユリの種類
チゴユリは鑑賞用に改良も進み、園芸種がたくさん。茎が分岐する系統は「枝打稚児百合」とも呼ばれます。葉に様々な斑が入る系統は、覆輪、爪覆輪、縞斑、中斑、散り斑、黄金葉、烏葉などがあり、その斑も白色から褐色、黄色まで。花は八重咲きのほか、赤色や黄色もあります。
チゴユリの近縁
チゴユリの近縁種「宝鐸草」は株が全体的に大きめ。茎が分岐し、葉脈が目立ち、花が緑色の筒形で開かず、吊り下がるように咲きます。宝鐸草と稚児百合の雑種が「宝鐸稚児百合」で、茎と葉が宝鐸草に、花が稚児百合に近似。葉に様々な斑が入るなど、園芸種も少なくありません。
Disporum smilacinum
Disporum smilacinum is a perennial herb of the Colchicaceae family. It is distributed in Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and overseas from the Korean Peninsula to China, and grows naturally in deciduous forests from mountains to flatlands. The Japanese name means “small white flowers as cute as a small child.” The language of flowers is “shy”, “purity”, etc.
Disporum smilacinum has rhizomes that grow around the plant and form new shoots at the tips of the rhizomes. The stems are thin and flexible and grow as if they were crawling on the ground. The leaves are oval with a pointed tip and alternate. The flowers bloom slightly downward at the tip of the stem and open half-open. There are 6 white tepals, 6 pale yellow-green stamens, and a 3-lobed pistil. After flowering, black berries ripen.
Disporum smilacinum has been improved for ornamental purposes, and there are many garden varieties. First, there are strains with branching stems. There are also many strains that have various markings on their leaves, ranging from white to brown to yellow. The flowers are double, as well as red and yellow.
“Disporum sessile”, a related species of Disporum smilacinum, has larger stocks overall. The stems are branched, the leaf veins are conspicuous, and the flowers are green and cylindrical and do not open, but instead bloom in a hanging manner. A hybrid of sessile and smilacinum has stems and leaves similar to sessile and flowers similar to smilacinum. There are many garden varieties with various markings on the leaves.
