Brown-eared bulbul - Brown-eared bulbul

A perennial vine of the Solanaceae family (APG classification: Solanaceae). The stems wrap around other objects with petioles and are densely covered with glandular hairs. The leaves are alternate, ovate and softly hairy, with the lower leaves having 3 to 5 lobes. From August to October, inflorescences are produced on the opposite side of the leaves or between the nodes, and white flowers open downward. The corolla is deeply divided into 5 lobes and the lobes are curled back. The fruits are spherical, ripen to a red color, and are poisonous. They grow in forest edges and fields from the coast to the mountains, and are distributed throughout Japan, as well as the Korean peninsula, China, Indochina, and India. The name comes from the fact that brown-eared bulbul birds love to eat the fruits.

[Hideo Takahashi July 16, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ナス科（APG分類：ナス科）の多年生つる草。茎は葉柄で他物に巻き付き、密に腺毛(せんもう)がある。葉は互生し、卵形で軟毛が多く、下方の葉は3～5裂する。8～10月、葉の反対側または節間に花序をつくり、白色花を下向きに開く。花冠は深く5裂し、裂片は反り返る。果実は球形で赤色に熟し、有毒である。海岸から山地の林縁や野原に生え、日本全土、および朝鮮半島、中国、インドシナ、インドに分布する。名は、ヒヨドリが果実を好んで食べることによる。

［高橋秀男　2021年7月16日］

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