Eizan violet - Eizan violet

A perennial plant of the family Violaceae (APG classification: Violaceae). It has no above-ground stems and a short rhizome. The leaves in flowering season are divided into three lobes, with the lateral lobes divided even more deeply. Each lobe is divided into a central lobe, and the edges are slightly irregularly notched. After flowering, the leaves are usually divided into three lobes, with each leaflet being roughly ovate. They are larger than the leaves in flowering season, and some can reach 15 cm in length and 3 cm in width. Around April, the flower stalk, which is 5 to 10 cm long, usually grows above the leaves, and the pale pink to almost white flowers bloom at the beginning. The purple stripes on the lower petals are prominent, and the tips of the spurs are slightly swollen. It grows under forests in mountainous areas from Honshu to Kyushu. It is named after Mt. Hiei. It is also called Ezo violet, and has been recorded on Okushiri Island in Hokkaido, but it is thought that it is not actually distributed there. Those with brightly colored flowers are often cultivated. Occasionally there are species whose leaves barely split, and these are called single-leaf violets.

[Hashimoto Tamotsu July 21, 2020]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

スミレ科（APG分類：スミレ科）の多年草。地上茎はなく、根茎も短い。花期の葉は3裂し、側裂片はさらに深裂する。おのおのの裂片は中裂し、縁(へり)はやや不規則に欠刻がある。花期後の葉は普通は3裂し、各小葉はほぼ卵形、花期の葉に比べて大きく、長さ15センチメートル、幅3センチメートルになるものがある。4月ごろ、長さ5～10センチメートルの花茎が普通は葉よりも上に伸び、先に淡紅色からほぼ白色の花を開く。下弁の紫条が目だち、距(きょ)の先はやや膨らむ。本州から九州までの山地の林下に生える。名は比叡山(ひえいざん)にちなむ。エゾスミレともいわれ、北海道の奥尻(おくしり)島で記録されてもいるが、実際には分布していないと考えられる。花の色が鮮やかなものはよく栽培される。まれに葉がほとんど裂けないものがあり、ヒトツバエゾスミレといわれる。

［橋本　保　2020年7月21日］

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