ミゾソバは、花や葉が「蕎麦」に似ていて、用水路のような「溝」に群生。花の形から「金平糖草」、葉の形から「牛の額」とも呼ばれます。
Water Pepper is “ditch buckwheat” in Japanese, because their flowers and leaves resemble buckwheat and grow around the irrigation ditches. They are also called “Konpeito herb” because of their flower shape, and “Cow’s forehead” because of their leaf shape.
【仮名】ミゾソバ
【和名】溝蕎麦
【英名】Water Pepper
【学名】Persicaria thunbergii
【誕生】11/ 15
【開花】08, 09, 10月
【花色】White, Pink
ミゾソバ
ミゾソバの生態
ミゾソバはタデ科の１年草です。日本では北海道から本州、四国、九州まで、国外ではロシア東部から中国、朝鮮半島、台湾、インドまで分布し、河川や沼沢の周り、湖岸などの湿地で自生。日本では用水路がコンクリートで固められる前の水田で最も普通に見られる畦畔雑草でした。
ミゾソバの名前
ミゾソバの名前の由来は、花や葉の形が「蕎麦」に似ていて、用水路のような「溝」に群生していたから。そのため、「川蕎麦」「田蕎麦」といった別名もあります。花の形から「金平糖草」、葉の形から「牛の額」とも。「赤っ面」「八の字草」「蛙草」といった地方名もあります。
ミゾソバの分類
ミゾソバはタデ属またはイヌタデ属。前者のラテン語の属名ポリゴナムは「多角形」、後者のペルシカリアは「桃」という意味ですが、由来はわかりません。種名はスウェーデンの植物学者カール・ツンベルクへの献名。姿の似ている近縁種が多く、「継子の尻拭い」も同属異種です。
ミゾソバの姿形
ミゾソバの茎はトゲがあり、地を這うように広がって節から発根。葉は互生で先端が尖り、基部が左右に張り出す鉾形です。花は５裂し、雄しべが８本、雌しべの柱頭が３裂ですが、花が開かないで自家受粉する閉鎖花も地中に形成。花後の小さな痩果は苦味が強く、食べられません。
ミゾソバの利用
ミゾソバは新選組の土方歳三の生家に伝わる「石田散薬」の主原料。漢方に通じる土方家が、近くの浅川に棲む「河童」から教わったとされる妙薬です。土用の丑の日に川縁から刈り取ってきて加工し、熱燗とともに服用。骨折や打ち身、捻挫、筋肉痛、切り傷などに用いられました。
Water Pepper
Ecology of Water Pepper
Water Pepper is an annual plant of the polygonaceae family. It is distributed from Hokkaido to Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan, and from eastern Russia to China, the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and India. In Japan, it was the most common ridge weed in paddy fields before irrigation canals were hardened with concrete.
Name of Water Pepper
Water Pepper is “ditch buckwheat” in Japanese, because their flowers and leaves resemble buckwheat and grow around the irrigation ditches. For this reason, they are also known by other names such as “river buckwheat” and “paddy buckwheat”. They are also called “Konpeito herb” because of their flower shape, and “Cow’s forehead” because of their leaf shape. And have local names such as “blush”, “eight herb”, and “frog herb”.
Classification of Water Pepper
Water Pepper is classified into two genus. Polygonum means “polygon” and Persicaria means “peach”, but their origins are unknown. The species name is a dedication to the Swedish botanist Carl Thunberg. There are many closely related species with similar appearances, and the “Senticosa” is also of the same genus.
Shape of Water Pepper
The stem of Water Pepper has thorns, spreads as if crawling on the ground, and roots from the node. The leaves are alternate, lance-shaped, with pointed tips and protruding bases to the left and right. The flower has 5 lobes, 8 stamens, and 3 pistil stigma. Small achenes after flowering have a strong bitter taste and cannot be eaten.
Use of Water Pepper
Water Pepper was the main ingredient of “Ishida Sanyaku”, which had been handed down in the family of Toshizo Hijikata, a member of the Shinsengumi. It was said that the Hijikata family, well versed in traditional Chinese medicine, learned this medicine from “Kappa” who lived in the nearby Asakawa River. Harvested from the riverside on a designated midsummer day, processed, and consumed with hot sake. It was used for broken bones, bruises, sprains, muscle pain, and cuts.
