Honeysuckle - Honeysuckle

Touhon (a climbing plant) of the Rubiaceae family (APG classification: Rubiaceae). It is also called Yaitobana (moxibustion flower) or Saotomebana (early maiden flower). When dry, the whole plant turns blackish. The long stems that grow along the ground do not bear flowers. Flowering stems wrap around other objects and climb high. Stems that do not wither become woody and grow large, reaching a diameter of 1 cm. The leaves are opposite and ovate. From July to September, cymes are produced at the ends of branches and in the axils of leaves, and many flowers bloom. The corolla is tubular with 5 lobes, gray-white on the outside and reddish purple on the inside. The fruit is spherical, with small pointed sepals remaining at the end, and contains 2 seeds. It is widely distributed in Japan, southern China, India, and Southeast Asia. It is called "fart feces kudzu" because it has a foul odor when the plant is rubbed, and "moxibustion flower" because the reddish purple color of the inside of the corolla resembles the marks left by moxa. The inflorescence of the Saotome flower is thought to have resembled the hairpin used by young maidens. It is used in flower games by applying saliva to the corolla and attaching it to the face. The bast fibers are long, and the stems can be used as a substitute for string, and in China the stems are used as a cough medicine and as a raw material for paper.

There are about 30 species of Hexocara distributed mainly in the tropics.

[Makiyuki Fukuoka, May 21, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

アカネ科（APG分類：アカネ科）の藤本(とうほん)（つる植物）。ヤイトバナ（灸花）、サオトメバナ（早乙女花）ともいう。乾くと全草黒っぽくなる。地面をはって長く伸びる茎には花はつかない。花のつく茎は、他物に巻き付いて高く上る。枯れないで残った茎は木質化して肥大成長し、径1センチメートルになる。葉は対生し、卵形。7～9月、枝先や葉腋(ようえき)に集散花序をつくり、多数の花を開く。花冠は筒形で5裂し、外側は灰白色、内側は赤紫色。果実は球形、先に小さくとがった萼片(がくへん)が残り、種子は2個。日本、および中国南部、インド、東南アジアに広く分布する。植物体をもむと悪臭があるので屁糞葛の名があり、花冠内側の赤紫色が灸(きゅう)をすえた跡に似るので灸花の名がある。早乙女(さおとめ)花は、花序を早乙女が用いるかんざしに見立てたものと思われる。花冠に唾液(だえき)をつけ、顔などにくっつけて草花遊びに用いられる。靭皮(じんぴ)繊維が長く、茎は紐(ひも)の代用となり、中国では茎を咳(せき)どめの薬としたり、紙の原料とする。

　ヘクソカズラ属は熱帯を中心に約30種分布する。

［福岡誠行　2021年5月21日］

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