Chenopodium album var. centrorubrum

Japanese: アカザ（英語表記）Chenopodium album var. centrorubrum

It is an annual plant of the Chenopodiaceae family, said to have been introduced from China long ago. It is a weed that grows well in fertile soil such as fields and garbage dumps, but does not grow much in poor soil. The name "Chinese laurel" comes from the fact that the young leaves are reddish, and it is believed to be a variant of the non-red-colored Chenopodium album . The plant can reach a height of over 1.5m. The leaves are triangular-oval and alternate, with wavy sawtooth edges. From summer to autumn, ears appear at the ends of the branches, and small yellow-green flowers grow densely. The calyx is deeply divided into five parts, has no petals, and has five stamens and one pistil. The fruit is enclosed in a persistent calyx, is flat and spherical, and contains one black seed inside. The young leaves are boiled and eaten, but it is best to avoid eating large amounts regularly as they contain oxalic acid.

Chinese goosefoot
Liobagrus reinii

A freshwater fish of the family Chenopodidae in the order Siluriformes. It grows to 10 cm in length. Its body is long and flattened longitudinally at the front but laterally at the back. The rear edge of the caudal fin is round. It has small eyes and eight whiskers. The rear edge of the adipose fin is continuous with the caudal fin. It has no scales. Its body color is reddish brown, with a slightly paler ventral surface. It is distributed in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, except for northern Tohoku, but has been decreasing in recent years. It lives under stones in the upper and middle reaches of rivers.

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

Japanese:

アカザ科の一年草で，古く中国から渡来したといわれる。畑やごみ捨て場など肥えた土地によく生える雑草で，やせた土地にはあまり生えない。アカザの名は若葉が赤色を帯びていることにより，赤くならないシロザ C. albumの変種とされている。草丈は 1.5m以上にも達する。葉は三角状の卵形で互生し，縁に波状の鋸歯があり，夏から秋にかけて，枝先に穂を出し，黄緑色の細かな花が密生する。萼は5片に深く裂け，花弁はなく，5本のおしべと1本のめしべがある。果実は宿存萼に包まれ，平たい球形で，中に1個の黒い種子がある。若葉をゆでて食べるが，シュウ酸を含むため多量に常食することは避けたほうがよい。

アカザ
Liobagrus reinii

ナマズ目アカザ科の淡水魚。全長 10cmになる。体は長く，前方は縦扁するが，後方では側扁する。尾鰭後縁は丸い。眼は小さく，口ひげは 8本。脂鰭の後縁が尾鰭に連続する。鱗はない。体色は赤褐色で，腹面はやや淡い。東北北部を除く本州，四国，九州に分布するが，近年減少傾向にある。河川の上・中流域の石の下にすむ。

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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