Barberry - Barberry

A deciduous shrub of the Berberidaceae family (APG classification: Berberidaceae). It has long and short branches, with leaves growing in bunches on the short branches. The leaves are alternate, small, spatula-shaped, and entire. The leaves on the long branches are transformed into thorns. It produces umbel-shaped cymes and yellow flowers in April and May. It has six sepals, six petals, and two nectar glands. It has six stamens and anthers that open like petals. When stimulated, the filaments tilt toward the pistil. It has one pistil and a single-lobed ovary with two or three ovules inside. The fruit is a red berry. It grows in mountainous areas, and is distributed from Honshu west of the Chubu region to Kyushu. Its name comes from the fact that the stems and leaves are boiled and used as an eyewash.

Plants in the barberry genus have sharp thorns, so they are also known by other names such as Yoroidoosi and Tritomalazu. They are known to host the rust spores of the rust fungus that harms wheat. In addition, because they contain alkaloids such as berberine, they have long been used as medicines for eye diseases and stomach problems, and are also used as garden trees. There are approximately 600 known species in the world, distributed mainly in the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, as well as in Africa and South America. Japanese barberry, Barberry musca, Hebinoborazu, Broad-leaved Hebinoborazu, and Holly-leaf Nandina grow in Japan.

[Susumu Terabayashi September 17, 2019]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

メギ科（APG分類：メギ科）の落葉低木。枝は長枝と短枝があり、短枝に葉を束生する。葉は互生し、小形のへら形で全縁。長枝の葉は刺(とげ)に変形する。4～5月、散形状の集散花序をつくり、黄色花を開く。萼片(がくへん)は6枚、花弁は6枚で2個の蜜腺(みつせん)がある。雄しべは6本、葯(やく)は弁開する。刺激を与えると、花糸は雌しべ側へ傾く。雌しべは1本、子房は1室で中に胚珠(はいしゅ)が2、3個ある。果実は赤色の液果。山地に生え、中部地方以西の本州から九州に分布する。名は、茎や葉を煎(せん)じて洗眼に使うことによる。

　メギ属の植物は刺が鋭いのでヨロイドオシ、トリトマラズなどの異名がある。コムギに害を与えるサビ菌のサビ胞子の寄主として知られている。また、ベルベリンなどのアルカロイドが含まれるため、古くから眼病薬、胃薬などに用いられるほか、庭木としても利用される。世界に約600種知られ、北半球の温帯域を中心に、アフリカ、南アメリカまで分布する。日本にはメギ、オオバメギ、ヘビノボラズ、ヒロハヘビノボラズ、ヒイラギナンテンが生育する。

［寺林　進　2019年9月17日］

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