ニゲラの英名は花が咲くと「霧の中の恋人」、花が散ると「薮の中の悪魔」。種子を枕に詰めると良い夢が見られる…という伝承があります。
The English name of this flower is “Love In A Mist” when it blooms, and “Devil In A Bush” when it scatters. Legend has it that if you stuff the seeds into your pillow, you will have good dreams.
【仮名】ニゲラ, クロタネソウ
【和名】黒種草
【英名】Love In A Mist, Devil In A Bush
【学名】Nigella damascena
【誕生】03/ 08, 03/ 31, 04/ 21, 05/ 29
【開花】05, 06, 07月
【花色】White, Pink, Violet, Blue, Green
ニゲラ
ニゲラの概要
ニゲラはキンポウゲ科クロタネソウ属の一年草。幻想的な花を咲かせ、芳香のある種子を実らせます。原産地は欧州の南部で、日本へは江戸時代に渡来。種子は毒性のあるアルカロイド「ダマスセニン」を含むものの、「刻んで枕に詰めると良い夢が見られる」という伝承があります。
ニゲラの名前
ニゲラの名前の由来はラテン語の属名で、もともと「黒色の」という意味です。花後の蒴果が熟すと膨らんで裂け、黒色の種子が露出するから。和名も「黒種草」です。英名は花が咲くと「霧の中の恋人」、花が散ると「薮の中の悪魔」。花や蒴果が糸状の総苞片で覆われるからです。
ニゲラの姿形
ニゲラの茎は直立し、上のほうで分岐します。葉は羽状に細かく裂け、裂片が糸状に広がって互生。花弁のように見えるのは萼片で、花弁は蜜腺へと退化しています。萼片は一重咲きの５枚から八重咲きの25枚まで、雄しべが５本、雌しべが５裂。その周りを糸状の総苞片が覆います。
ニゲラの園芸種
ニゲラの園芸種「ペルシャンジュエル」は八重咲きの普通種。白色、桃色、青色の混合種子で流通しています。「ブルーイスタンブール」は一重咲きの大輪種。草丈が高く、普通種が咲き終わる頃に青紫色の花を咲かせます。「グリーンマジック」は緑色の変種。萼片が細い羽状です。
ニゲラの近縁種
ニゲラの近縁種「サティバ」は3300年前の古代エジプトから現在のインドまで香辛料として利用。種子にクミンのような強い香りがあって「ブラッククミン」とも呼ばれます。和名も「匂黒種草」。欧州では昔、尿閉、腸カタル、肺疾患など、「死以外の万病に効く薬」とされました。
Love In A Mist
Overview of Love In A Mist
Love In A Mist is an annual plant belonging to the Ranunculaceae family. It produces fantastic flowers and bears fragrant seeds. The place of origin is the southern part of Europe, and it was brought to Japan in the Edo period. Although the seeds contain the toxic alkaloid damascenine, legend has it that if you chop them up and stuff them into your pillow, you will have good dreams.
Name of Love In A Mist
The Japanese name of Love In A Mist is “Nigella”, which is derived from the Latin genus name, originally meaning “black”. This is because when the post-flowering capsule ripens, it swells and splits, exposing the black seeds. The English name of this flower is “Love In A Mist” when it blooms, and “Devil In A Bush” when it scatters. This is because the flowers and capsules are covered with filamentous bracts.
Appearance of Love In A Mist
Love In A Mist stems are erect and branched at the top. The leaves are pinnately lobed, and the lobes spread like threads and are alternate. The sepals look like petals, and the petals have degenerated into nectaries. The sepals range from 5 for single flowers to 25 for double flowers, with 5 stamens and 5 lobed pistils. It is surrounded by filamentous bracts.
Cultivars of Love In A Mist
Love In A Mist horticultural variety “Persian Jewel” is a common double-flowered variety. It is distributed in white, pink and blue mixed seeds. “Blue Istanbul” is a single-flowered large-flowered variety. The plant is tall and blooms blue-purple flowers when the common species finishes blooming. “Green Magic” is a variant of green. The sepals are thin pinnate.
Relatives of Love In A Mist
Related species of Love In A Mist “Sativa” has been used as a spice from ancient Egypt 3,300 years ago to present-day India. It is also called “Black Cumin” because the seeds have a strong cumin-like scent. In Europe, it was once considered a “medicine for all kinds of ailments other than death”, such as urinary retention, intestinal catarrh, and lung disease.
