アレチウリは葉がキュウリに似ていて巻きひげも伸ばします。花は雄花と雌花があり、花被が５裂。名前の通り、荒れ地でも旺盛に育ちます。
Burr Cucumber has cucumber-like leaves and also grows tendrils. It has male and female flowers, and the perianth is 5-lobed. It grows vigorously even in wasteland, as it is called “wasteland melon” in Japanese.
【仮名】アレチウリ
【和名】荒れ地瓜
【英名】Burr Cucumber, Star Cucumber
【学名】Sicyos angulatus
【誕生】09/ 21, 10/ 27
【開花】08, 09, 10月
【花色】Green
アレチウリ
アレチウリの生態
アレチウリはウリ科の１年草です。原産地は北米で、農産物に種子が紛れるなどして、世界中に分布が拡大。もともと河川や沼沢など、水辺の湿地で日当たりがよく、肥沃なところを好みますが、名前の通り、荒れ地でも旺盛に育ちます。英名のキューカンバーは「キュウリ」のこと。
アレチウリの来歴
アレチウリは1952年に静岡県の清水港で北米からの輸入大豆に種子の混入が見つかり、1970年に長野県の千曲川流域で生育が確認されました。2006年には「特定外来生物」に指定。茎葉で巻きついたり覆ったりして高木をも枯らしてしまうなど、在来の植生に大きな影響を及ぼします。
アレチウリの姿形
アレチウリは、葉がキュウリに似ていて、巻きひげも伸ばします。花は雄花と雌花があり、いずれも花被が５裂。雄花は大きく、雄しべの先端が丸く、雌花は小さく、雌しべの柱頭が３つに裂けます。花後の液果は卵形で、毛や刺が密生。茎葉が薙ぎ払われても根が残れば再生します。
アレチウリの利用
アレチウリは「日本の侵略的外来種」に選ばれ、花言葉も「生命力あふれる」「嫌われ者」です。一方、花蜜や花粉が多く、蜜蜂がたくさん飛び交い、採れる蜂蜜は野草の香り。茎は苦味が強いものの、若い芽や葉はキュウリのような風味があり、天ぷらやお浸しなどで食べられます。
Burr Cucumber
Ecology of Burr Cucumber
Burr Cucumber is an annual plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. Originating in North America, its distribution has spread all over the world as seeds are mixed with agricultural products. Originally, it prefers sunny and fertile waterside wetlands such as rivers and swamps, but it grows vigorously even in wasteland, as it is called “wasteland melon” in Japanese. The English name means “cucumber”.
History of Burr Cucumber
In 1952, soybeans imported from North America were found to contain seeds of Burr Cucumber at Shimizu Port in Shizuoka Prefecture, and in 1970, their growth was confirmed in the Chikuma River basin in Nagano Prefecture. In 2006, it was designated as a “Specified Alien Species”. It has a great impact on native vegetation, such as by wrapping and covering with stems and leaves and even dying tall trees.
Shape of Burr Cucumber
Burr Cucumber has cucumber-like leaves and also grows tendrils. There are male flowers and female flowers, both of which have 5-lobed perianths. The male flowers are large with rounded stamen tips, while the female flowers are small and the stigma of the pistil is split into three. The berries after flowering are egg-shaped, with dense hairs and spines. Even if the stem and leaves are mowed down, if the root remains, it will regenerate.
Use of Burr Cucumber
Burr Cucumber has been selected as “List of Alien Species in Japan”, and its flower language is “full of vitality” and “disliked”. On the other hand, there is a lot of nectar and pollen, there are many bees flying around, and the honey that can be collected has the scent of herbs. The stems have a strong bitter taste, but the young shoots and leaves have a cucumber-like flavor and can be eaten in tempura or boiled.
