Sarunashi - Monkey

A deciduous vine of the Actinidiaceae family (APG classification: Actinidiaceae). It is also called Shirakuchizuru or Kokuwa. The vines climb tall trees by twining around them, with brown pith and stepped cavities, and the thicker ones have trunks that are 15 cm in diameter. The bark is long and peels off easily. The leaves are thick and do not turn white at the end of the vine like Actinidia quinata. The petioles are slightly reddish. They are dioecious, or have a mixture of unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant. In summer, they produce white flowers, with male and bisexual flowers in cymes and female flowers growing solitary. The fruit is a berry that is somewhat spherical, about 2 cm long, and ripens to a greenish-brown color. It grows in mountain forests throughout Japan and is distributed in the warm-temperate zone of East Asia.

The flesh has a sweet and sour taste and is used to make fruit wine. The vines are strong and do not rot easily, so they are used to tie rafts and as material for vine bridges. The vine bridge over the Iya River in Tokushima Prefecture has become a popular tourist attraction. Also, when a thick vine is cut, water comes out from the cut end where the roots are attached, so it can be drunk, which is useful when you are thirsty in the mountains. It is said that the name comes from the fact that the shape of the fruit resembles a pear, and monkeys eat it.

[Akiko Sugiyama April 16, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

マタタビ科（APG分類：マタタビ科）の落葉藤本(とうほん)（つる植物）。シラクチヅル、コクワともいう。つるは高い木に絡みついて登り、髄は褐色で階段状の空所があり、太いものは幹が径15センチメートルとなる。樹皮は縦に長くはがれやすい。葉は厚くマタタビのようにつるの先の葉が白くなることはない。葉柄はやや赤みを帯びる。雌雄異株か、同じ株に単性花と両性花が混じる。夏、白色花をつけ、雄花と両性花は集散花序となり、雌花は単生する。果実は液果でやや球状、長さ約2センチメートル、緑褐色に熟す。日本全土の山林に生え、東アジアの暖帯に分布する。

　果肉は甘酸味があり、果実酒にする。つるはじょうぶで腐りにくいので、筏(いかだ)を縛ったり、蔓(かずら)橋の材料とする。徳島県の祖谷(いや)川の蔓橋は観光名所となっている。また、太いつるを切ると、根のついたほうの切り口から水が出るので飲用とされ、山でのどが渇いたときに役だつ。名は、果実の形がナシに似ており、サルが食用とするためといわれる。

［杉山明子　2021年4月16日］

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