Hibiscus

Japanese: ハイビスカス - はいびすかす

A general term for the genus Hibiscus in the Malvaceae (APG classification: Malvaceae). Widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions around the world, there are about 200 species, cultivated for food, fiber and ornamental purposes. In horticulture, hibiscus refers to several species, including H. rosa-sinensis L., and the many varieties developed through complex crossbreeding of these. Flowers come in a wide variety of colors and shapes, including white, peach, magenta, red, orange and yellow, as well as single and double flowers, with some reaching a diameter of 10 to 25 centimeters.

The plant is thought to be a hybrid that originated in the Indian Ocean region, but its origin is unknown. Today, it is widely cultivated in tropical regions for ornamental purposes, and in Japan it is grown as a greenhouse plant, usually in a pot. It is an evergreen shrub that reaches a height of 2-5 meters and branches well. The leaves are alternate, broadly ovate or ovate with a pointed tip, stalked, about 9 cm long, and have irregular coarse serrations. The flowers are broad funnel-shaped, grow singly in the axils at the top of new branches, and have long pedicels. The calyx is tubular with five lobes, has five red petals, and the stamens are fused into a tube shape with many anthers at the top. The pistil is longer than the stamens and has five lobes at the end. It blooms frequently from summer to autumn, but can bloom all year round if the temperature is suitable. H. schizopetalus Hook.f. is an evergreen shrub native to eastern tropical Africa and is one of the breeding parents. The flowers have long drooping pedicels, red petals that are deeply and finely lobed and curled back, and the stamens and pistils protrude long and look like wind chimes.

It is grown in a pot with a mixture of leaf mold, field soil, and sand, outdoors in summer and in a greenhouse in winter. It can survive winter at around 5°C, but loses its leaves. It is propagated by cuttings and grafting. Cuttings can be propagated all year round in a greenhouse.

[Kiyohisa Matsuoka April 17, 2020]

Cultural history

Introduced to Europe in 1731, Linnaeus mistakenly assumed it was native to China and gave it the species name Rosa sinensis (Chinese rose), but the Chinese book "Minshu Nan Sanshi" (16th century) writes that it was "introduced from a foreign country and is not native to China." In Japan, it was first introduced to the Ryukyu Islands under the name of Busouge, and in 1614 (Keicho 19), Shimazu Iehisa, the lord of Satsuma, presented Ryukyu Busouge along with Matsurika to Tokugawa Ieyasu. In Hawaii, the center of hibiscus breeding, nine wild species were crossed with introduced hibiscus species such as Busouge and Huurin Busouge from the early 20th century, resulting in the creation of as many as 5,000 varieties. It is designated as the state flower of Hawaii, the national flower of Malaysia, and the city flower of Okinawa City.

The herbal tea known as hibiscus tea is made from Hibiscus sabdariffa L., a type of roselle native to Africa that has enlarged calyxes, unlike the commonly known hibiscus.

[Hiroshi Yuasa April 17, 2020]

[References] | Linnaeus

Bussouge
The flowers are broad funnel-shaped and have five red petals. The pistil is longer than the stamens and has five lobes at the end. They often bloom from summer to autumn, but if the temperature is suitable, they will bloom all year round. ©Shogakukan Photo by Hideyuki Asakura ">

Bussouge

Veronica veronica
The flower stalks are long and drooping, and the petals are deeply and finely divided and curled back. The flower color is red, and the style protrudes long. ©Shogakukan Photo by Hideyuki Asakura ">

Veronica veronica

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

アオイ科（APG分類：アオイ科）フヨウ属の総称。世界の熱帯、亜熱帯、温帯地方に広く分布し、約200種あり、食用、繊維用、観賞用などとして栽培されている。園芸上でいうハイビスカスは、ブッソウゲ（仏桑華）H. rosa-sinensis L.のほか数種と、これらの複雑な交配により育成された多数の品種をさす。花色や花形が豊富で、白、桃、紫紅、赤、橙(だいだい)、黄色のものや、一重咲き、八重咲きがあり、花径が10～25センチメートルに及ぶものもある。

　ブッソウゲはインド洋方面で成立した雑種植物と考えられているが、原産地は不明。今日では熱帯地方で広く観賞用に栽植されており、日本では温室植物とし、普通は鉢植えにされる。常緑低木で高さ2～5メートルに達し、よく分枝する。葉は互生し、広卵形ないし卵形で先はとがり、有柄で長さ9センチメートル内外、不ぞろいの粗い鋸歯(きょし)がある。花は広漏斗(ろうと)形で、新しい枝の上部の葉腋(ようえき)に単生し、長い花柄がある。萼(がく)は筒状で5裂し、花弁は赤色で5枚、雄しべは管状に癒合してその上部に多数の葯(やく)をつける。雌しべは雄しべより長く、先が五つに分かれる。夏から秋によく開花するが、適温であれば一年中花をつける。フウリンブッソウゲ（風鈴仏桑華）H. schizopetalus Hook.f.は東部熱帯アフリカ原産の常緑低木で、交配親の1種である。花は花柄が長くて垂下し、花弁は赤色で、深く細かく裂けて、反り返り、雄しべと雌しべが長く突出して風鈴状にみえる。

　栽培は、腐葉土・畑土(はたつち)・砂を混合した土で鉢植えにし、夏季は戸外、冬季は温室内で育てる。越冬は5℃程度でできるが、落葉する。繁殖は挿木および接木(つぎき)による。挿木は温室内であれば周年できる。

［松岡清久　2020年4月17日］

文化史

1731年にヨーロッパに導入され、リンネは中国原産と勘違いして、ローサシネンシス（中国のバラ）の種名を与えたが、中国の『閩書南産誌(びんしょなんさんし)』（16世紀）は「外国より渡来し、中国には産せず」と書く。日本には仏桑華(ぶっそうげ)の名で、まず琉球(りゅうきゅう)に伝わり、1614年（慶長19）薩摩(さつま)藩主島津家久はマツリカとともに琉球産の仏桑華を徳川家康に献上した。ハイビスカスの改良の中心地ハワイでは、9種の野生種に、ブッソウゲ、フウリンブッソウゲなどと導入したハイビスカス類が20世紀の初頭から交雑され、5000にも上るといわれる品種が生まれた。ハワイでは州花に指定され、マレーシアの国花、沖縄市の市花でもある。

　ハイビスカスティーと称されるハーブ茶は、いわゆるハイビスカスとは異なり、萼(がく)が肥大するアフリカ産のローゼルHibiscus sabdariffa L.である。

［湯浅浩史　2020年4月17日］

[参照項目] | リンネ

ブッソウゲ

フウリンブッソウゲ

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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