ハナモモは江戸時代、花を観賞するために、果実用の桃から育成。花数が多く、彩も美しく、桃の節句の雛祭りでは、八重咲きが好まれます。
Flower peach was grown from fruit peaches in the Edo period to appreciate the flowers. The number of flowers is large and the colors are beautiful, and double-flowered flowers are preferred at the Doll’s Festival of Peach Festival.
【仮名】ハナモモ
【和名】花桃
【英名】Flower Peach
【学名】Prunus persica
【誕生】03/ 03, 04/ 12, 04/ 14
【開花】03, 04月
【花色】White, Pink, Red
ハナモモ
ハナモモの渡来
ハナモモはバラ科の落葉低木。花を観賞するため、果実用の桃から育成されました。桃は原産地が中国。古来より災いを除き、福を招くとされた果樹です。日本への渡来は古く弥生時代。「古事記」では、イザナギが黄泉の国から逃げ帰るとき、悪鬼に桃を投げつけて退散させました。
ハナモモの育成
桃の花が観賞されるようになったのは平安時代。梅の次に桃が咲き始め、桃の次に桜が咲き始めます。そして、ハナモモが育成されたのは江戸時代。ところが、現在の品種も当時とほとんど変わりません。これは桃が変異しにくい植物だから。種子から育てても親の木と変わりません。
ハナモモの品種
「矢口」は八重咲きで鮮やかな桃色。「源平」は八重咲きで一本の木に桃色、白色、絞り模様の花が同時に着きます。「菊桃」は八重咲きで先の尖った細長い桃色の花弁。「寒緋桃」は八重咲きで濃い緋色、「関白」は八重咲きで純白、「照手紅」と「照手白」は箒立ちの大輪花です。
ハナモモの樹形
ハナモモは本来、丈が高くなりますが、改良によって丈が低く抑えられています。栽培するときの樹形は様々。狭いところでは箒立ちや矮性、広いところでは立性や枝垂れなど、適切な品種・樹形を選びます。桃の節句の雛祭りでは、一重咲きの花よりも、八重咲きの花が好まれます。
ハナモモの利用
ハナモモの花は実桃の花より数が多く、美しく、見事です。そのため、庭木として植えられるだけでなく、促成の「枝もの」にも利用。芽着きの枝を切ってきて室で加温し、開花させます。なお、桃と同じように着果しますが、果実は小ぶり。酸味や苦みが強く、生食には適しません。
Flower Peach
The arrival of flower peach
Flower peach is a deciduous shrub of the Rosaceae family. It was grown from fruit peaches to appreciate the flowers. The origin of peaches is China. It is a fruit tree that has been said to bring good fortune since ancient times, excluding disasters. The arrival to Japan is old and the Yayoi period. In “Kojiki”, when Izanagi escaped from the land of Yomi, he threw a peach at the evil spirit and dismissed it.
Raising flower peach
It was during the Heian period that peach blossoms began to be admired. The peaches begin to bloom next to the plums, and the cherry blossoms begin to bloom next to the peaches. And it was in the Edo period that flower peach was cultivated. However, the current varieties are almost the same as those at that time. This is a plant where peaches are hard to mutate. Even if it is grown from seeds, it is no different from the parent tree.
Flower peach varieties
“Yaguchi” is double-flowered and bright pink. “Genpei” is a double-flowered tree with pink, white, and squeezed flowers on a single tree at the same time. “Kikumomo” is a double-flowered, elongated pink petal with a sharp point. “Kanhito” is double-flowered and dark scarlet, “Kampaku” is double-flowered and pure white, and “Terute Beni” and “Terute Shiro” are large flowers with brooms.
Flower peach tree shape
Flower peach is originally taller, but it has been improved to keep it short. There are various tree shapes when cultivating. Select appropriate varieties and tree shapes such as broom and dwarf in narrow areas and standing and weeping in wide areas. Double-flowered flowers are preferred to single-flowered flowers at the Doll’s Festival of Peach Festival.
Use of flower peach
Peach flowers are more beautiful than real peach flowers. Therefore, it is not only planted as a garden tree, but also used as a forcing “branch”. Cut the bud branches and heat them in the room to make them bloom. The fruits are set in the same way as peaches, but the fruits are small. It has strong acidity and bitterness and is not suitable for raw food.
