Lobelia sessilifola; lobelia

Japanese: サワギキョウ(沢桔梗) - サワギキョウ（英語表記）Lobelia sessilifola; lobelia

A perennial plant of the Campanulaceae family, it is widely distributed in the cool temperate zone of eastern Asia and grows in clusters in wetlands. The entire plant is hairless except for the flowers, and the stem is unbranched, erect, 60-100 cm tall, and hollow. The leaves are lanceolate, 5-7 cm long, stalkless, with fine sawtooth edges, and densely alternate on the stem. The flowers bloom in August and September in racemes at the top of the stem. The corolla is bright purple, deeply lip-shaped and divided into five lobes, with long soft hairs growing sparsely on the edges of the lobes. The fruit is a pot-shaped capsule about 1 cm long. The entire plant is poisonous because it contains the toxic substance lobeline, and if eaten by mistake, it is said to cause poisoning symptoms such as respiratory paralysis and convulsions. Lobelia, a member of the same genus, is cultivated in flower beds and pots and is used not only for decorative purposes but also for medicinal purposes.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

キキョウ科の多年草で，アジア東部の冷温帯に広く分布し，湿地に群生する。花を除いては全草が無毛で，茎は分枝せず直立し，高さ 60～100cmもあって中空である。葉は無柄で長さ5～7cmの披針形，縁に細かい鋸歯があり，茎に密に互生する。花は8～9月に，茎の上部に総状花序をなして咲く。花冠は鮮かな紫色で，唇形に深く5裂し，裂片の縁には長い軟毛がまばらに生える。果実は壺状の蒴果で，長さ 1cmほどである。有毒成分ロベリンが含まれるため，全草毒草で，もし誤って食べると呼吸麻痺やけいれんなどの中毒症状を示すという。花壇や鉢植にして栽培される同属のロベリアは，観賞用ばかりでなく，薬用にもされる。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

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