Inokozuchi - Inokozuchi

A perennial plant of the Amaranthaceae family (APG classification: Amaranthaceae). It grows in the shade of trees on forest edges and in mountain fields, and is also called Cicada nigra. The entire plant is hairless and the rhizome is not thickened. The stem is 0.5 to 1 meter tall, has opposite branches, is square, and has swollen nodes. The leaves are opposite, stalked, oblong, thin, 10 to 20 cm long and 4 to 10 cm wide. The flowers are pale green and sessile, and appear in spikes at the end of slender rachises that emerge from the ends of branches or leaf axils in August and September. There are two bracts that are needle-like and have a round membranous appendage about 6 mm long at the base. There are five perianths, 4 to 5 mm long, green, slightly dry, linear lanceolate, and sharply pointed at the tip. There are five stamens that are fused at the base and one pistil. The sacs are surrounded by persistent perianth and contain one identical seed, which leaves the fruit axis during the fruiting period and easily sticks to clothing. They are distributed in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The name is said to come from the fact that the swollen nodes on the stem resemble the kneecaps of a boar's legs. A hairless coastal variety is Hachijo Inokozuchi.

[Junko Kobayashi January 21, 2021]

The roots of this species and those of A. longifolia Makino are called Goshitsu in traditional Chinese medicine and are used as blood purifiers, antiswelling agents and tonics to treat dysmenorrhea, hematuria, swelling, bruises, leg and back pain, and quadriplegia.

[Motoo Nagasawa January 21, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ヒユ科（APG分類：ヒユ科）の多年草。林縁や山野の木陰に生え、ヒカゲイノコズチともいう。全草無毛で根茎は肥厚しない。茎は高さ0.5～1メートル、対生する分枝を出し、四角で節が膨れる。葉は対生して有柄、長楕円(ちょうだえん)形で質は薄く、長さ10～20センチメートル、幅4～10センチメートル。花は淡緑色で無柄、8～9月に枝先または葉腋(ようえき)から出た細長い花軸の先に穂状につく。小包葉は2枚で針状にとがり、基部に長さ約6ミリメートルの丸い膜状付属体をもつ。花被(かひ)は5枚で長さ4～5ミリメートル、緑色でやや乾膜質、線状披針(ひしん)形で先は鋭くとがる。雄しべは5本で基部は合着し、雌しべは1本。胞果は宿存性の花被に包まれ、同形の1種子が入り、果期には果軸を離れ衣服などにつきやすい。本州、四国、九州に分布。名は、茎の膨れた節をイノシシの脚(あし)の膝頭(ひざがしら)に見立てたものといわれる。海岸型で無毛の変種にハチジョウイノコズチがある。

［小林純子　2021年1月21日］

　本種およびヤナギイノコズチA. longifolia Makinoの根を漢方では牛膝(ごしつ)といい、浄血、消腫(しょうしゅ)、強壮剤として月経困難、血尿、腫(は)れ物、打ち身、足腰の痛み、四肢麻痺(まひ)の治療に用いる。

［長沢元夫　2021年1月21日］

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