Gagabuta - Gagabuta

A perennial aquatic plant of the Menyanthaceae family (APG classification: Menyanthaceae). The leaves float on the water surface, are heart-shaped or oval-shaped, deeply bisected at the base, and have a glossy surface. The petiole is connected to the stem in the same shape, and the border between them is not clearly defined. The roots are whisker-like, and the stem is long and slender. From June to September, the inflorescences grow in clusters at the base of the petioles, and white flowers bloom one by one on the water surface. The corolla is deeply divided into five lobes, and the inner surfaces of the lobes are hairy. The fruit is oblong-shaped, with the remains of a calyx attached below. It grows in lowland ponds and marshes, and is widely distributed in the subtropics to tropics of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

[Hideo Takahashi November 17, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ミツガシワ科（APG分類：ミツガシワ科）の多年生水草。葉は水面に浮かび、円心形または卵状円形で基部は深く2裂し、表面は光沢がある。葉柄は茎と同じ形で接続し、その境がはっきりしない。根はひげ状で、茎は細長い。6～9月、花序は葉柄の付け根に束になってつき、白色の花を水面に1個ずつ開く。花冠は深く5裂し、裂片の内面に毛がある。果実は長楕円(ちょうだえん)形で、下方に萼(がく)の残骸(ざんがい)をつける。低地の池沼に生え、本州、四国、九州、朝鮮、中国、東南アジア、アフリカの亜熱帯から熱帯に広く分布する。

［高橋秀男　2021年11月17日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例