Spiraea japonica (English spelling)

Japanese: シモツケ(下野) - シモツケ（英語表記）Spiraea japonica

A small shrub of the Rosaceae family. It is found in eastern Asia, and grows wild in mountainous areas in Japan, but is also cultivated for decorative purposes. It is about 1m tall, with rounded branches that peel easily. The leaves are alternate, oblong, with sawtoothed edges, and white on the underside. In June, many small pale pink flowers appear in corymbs at the ends of the branches. There are five oval petals, many stamens, and five pistils that are separated to the base. The Japanese name is said to come from the fact that it was first found in Shimotsuke Province (Tochigi Prefecture). Other species in the same genus include the alpine S. nipponica , S. betulifolia , S. thunbergii , and S. prunifolia . Within the Rosaceae family, it differs from other plants such as roses, cherry blossoms, and raspberries in that its fruit is capsule-like and ripens and then splits open, and so it is sometimes classified as part of the Spiraeae subfamily, or as an independent family, Spiraeae.

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

Japanese:

バラ科の小低木。アジア東部に分布し，日本では各地の山地に自生するが，また観賞用に栽培もされる。高さ約 1mで，枝は丸く皮がむけやすい。葉は互生し，長楕円形で縁に鋸歯があり，裏面は白色を帯びる。6月頃，枝先に多数の淡紅色の小花が散房状につく。花弁は卵形で5枚，おしべは多数あり，めしべは5本あって基部まで分離している。和名は下野国 (栃木県) で最初に見つけられたためといわれる。同属のものには高山性のイワシモツケ S. nipponica，マルバシモツケ S. betulifolia，ユキヤナギ S. thunbergii，シジミバナ S. prunifoliaなどがある。バラ科のなかでも果実が蒴果状となって熟して裂開するなど他のバラやサクラ，キイチゴなどと異なるのでシモツケ亜科としたり，独立してシモツケ科とされることもある。

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