Cucumber grass - Cucumber grass

A biennial plant of the family Boraginaceae (APG classification: Boraginaceae). The stem is 10-30 cm tall. It is covered with hairs. The leaves at the top of the stem are oblong and stalkless, while the leaves at the bottom are stalked. From March to May, many small blue five-petaled flowers bloom in racemes that curl into a whorl at the end. The inflorescence has no bracts. The four caryopsis have sharp tips, smooth short stalks. It commonly grows in fields and roadsides, and is widely distributed throughout Japan and Asia. It is said to have been named after the fact that the leaves have a cucumber-like scent when rubbed. It is also known as Tabirako, but Tabirako, one of the seven herbs of spring, is a different species of the Asteraceae family. In the genus Cucurbitaceae, the caryopsis is mostly tetrahedral and smooth. There are about 40 species in the world, of which 6 are found in Japan.

[Hideo Takahashi July 16, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ムラサキ科（APG分類：ムラサキ科）の越年草。茎は高さ10～30センチメートル。全体に伏毛がある。茎の上部の葉は長楕円(ちょうだえん)形で柄がなく、下部の葉は柄がある。3～5月、先が渦状に巻いた総状花序に小さな青色の5弁花を多数開く。花序には包葉がない。4個の分果は先がとがり、滑らかで短い柄がある。畑や道端に普通に生え、日本全土、アジアに広く分布する。名は、葉をもむとキュウリに似た香りがあるところからつけられたという。別名タビラコともいうが、春の七草のタビラコはキク科の別種である。キュウリグサ属は、分果は多くが四面体で平滑である。世界に約40種、そのうち日本には6種分布する。

［高橋秀男　2021年7月16日］

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