クサイチゴは白色の離弁花。果実は甘味も酸味も薄く、日持ちもしませんが、子供たちが道草しながら摘み取って、そのまま頬張る野苺です。
Japanese Raspberry has a white schizopetalous flower. The fruits are neither sweet nor sour, and do not keep for long, but they are wild berries that children take a detour to pick and fill their mouths with.
【仮名】クサイチゴ
【和名】草苺
【英名】Japanese Raspberry
【学名】Rubus hirsutus
【誕生】03/ 31
【開花】03, 04, 05月
【花色】White
クサイチゴ
クサイチゴの概要
クサイチゴはバラ科キイチゴ属の落葉小低木です。日本では本州から四国、九州まで、国外では朝鮮半島、台湾、中国に分布。山地から平野まで、陽当たりの良いところなら、どこでも育ちます。もし茎葉が取り除かれても、地下茎が残れば再生可能。昔から馴染み深い「野苺」です。
クサイチゴの名前
クサイチゴの名前の由来は、木本なのに樹が低く、地を這うように枝が伸びて葉が繁り、あたかも草本のように見えるから。ごくありふれた「道草」の苺です。ラテン語の属名ルブスは「赤色」という意味で果実に由来。種小名ヒルスツスは「粗毛」という意味で茎や葉に由来します。
クサイチゴの姿形
クサイチゴは軟らかい毛が株全体を覆い、細かい棘が疎らに生えます。葉は長楕円形で小さく、縁に細かい鋸歯が入り、羽根状に互生。有花枝には小葉３枚、無花枝には小葉５枚が着きます。花は花弁が５枚で白色の離弁花。たくさんの雌しべの周りを、たくさんの雄しべが囲みます。
クサイチゴの利用
クサイチゴは花後、たくさんの子房が肥大して、丸い集合果を作ります。赤色に熟すと甘い風味が増して、ジャムなどに加工。花托が肥大する栽培種に比べて甘味も酸味も薄く、日持ちもしませんが、子供たちが道草をして、棘に気を付けながら摘み取って、そのまま頬張る野苺です。
クサイチゴの近縁
クサイチゴは「ラズベリー」の仲間。近縁種は株が大きく丈夫な「熊苺」、棘が鋭い「薔薇苺」、赤紫色の「海老殻苺」、花が赤色の「紅花苺」、赤紫色の「苗代苺」、果実が黄色の「紅葉苺」、橙色の「乞食苺」、黒色の「黒苺」、苦味もある「苦苺」など、いずれも食べられます。
Japanese Raspberry
Overview of Japanese Raspberry
Japanese Raspberry is a small deciduous shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family. In Japan, it is distributed from Honshu to Shikoku and Kyushu, and outside of Japan, it is distributed in the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and China. It grows anywhere from mountains to plains, as long as it is sunny. Even if the foliage is removed, it can be regenerated if the rhizome remains. It’s a familiar “wild berry” from a long time ago.
Name of Japanese Raspberry
The name of Japanese Raspberry means “wild grass strawberry” ,because it is low-growing and has long branches and lot leaves that make it look like a herbaceous plant although it is a tree. It is a very common strawberry of “roadside grass”. The Latin genus name Rubus means “red” and comes from the fruit. The specific epithet Hirsutus means “coarse hair” and is derived from the stem and leaves.
Shape of Japanese Raspberry
Japanese Raspberry are covered with soft hairs, and fine spines grow sparsely. The leaves are oblong and small, with fine serrations on the edges, and are alternately winged. Flowering branches have 3 leaflets and non-flowering branches have 5 leaflets. The flower has 5 petals and is white with separated petals. Many stamens surround many pistils.
Use of Japanese Raspberry
After flowering, many ovaries enlarge and produce round fruit. When ripened to a red color, the sweet flavor increases and is processed into jams. Compared to cultivars with enlarged flower stalks, they are less sweet and sour, and do not last long. However, it is a wild berry that children go out of their way to pick and eat while being careful of the thorns.
Relatives of Japanese Raspberry
Japanese Raspberry is a member of “Raspberry”. Related species are “Crataegifolius” with large and strong plants, “Illecebrosus” with sharp spines, “Phoenicolasius” with reddish purple appearance, “Vernus” with red flowers, “Parvifolius” with reddish purple flowers, “Palmatus” with yellow fruits, “Sumatranus” with orange fruits, “Mesogaeus” with black fruits, and “Microphyllus” with bitter fruits etc. You can eat all of them.
