Mitsuba (three-leaf clover) - Mitsuba (English spelling) Cryptotaenia japonica; hornwort

Japanese: ミツバ(三葉) - ミツバ（英語表記）Cryptotaenia japonica; hornwort

A perennial herb of the Umbelliferae family, widely distributed in the temperate and subtropical zones of eastern Asia. It grows wild in the shade of trees in mountainous areas throughout Japan, but is also cultivated as a vegetable. The stem is 30-50 cm long, green, and branched. The basal and lower leaves are trifoliate compound leaves with long stalks, and the leaflets are ovate, acutely pointed, irregularly sharply toothed, and pale and glossy on the underside. In summer, a few small white flowers are produced in sparse compound umbels at the tips of the twigs. The inflorescence of this species is not umbrella-shaped like other Umbelliferae, but is arranged vertically along the axis. The fruit is elliptical and black when ripe. Cultivated plants are available as vegetables almost all year round, but wild plants are eaten in spring when the leaves are still soft.

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

Japanese:

セリ科の多年草で，アジア東部の温帯から暖帯に広く分布する。日本各地の山地の樹陰に野生するが，野菜としても栽培される。茎は 30～50cmとなり緑色で分枝する。根出葉および下部の葉は長柄をもつ3出複葉で，小葉は卵形，鋭尖頭で不整の鋭鋸歯があり下面は淡色で光沢がある。夏に，小枝の先端にまばらな複散形花序をなして白色の小花を少数個つける。本種の花序は他のセリ科のもののように傘形にならないで，軸に沿って縦に並ぶ。果実は楕円形で黒熟する。栽培品はほぼ一年中野菜として出回っているが，野生のものは，春まだ葉が軟らかいときに食用にされる。

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

<<: Honeysuckle - Honeysuckle

>>: Three Dolls - Mitsuningyo