Ume (plum) - Ume

Japanese: ウメ(梅) - ウメ

It is a deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family native to China, and is said to grow wild in Kyushu. Its fragrant flowers, which bloom in early spring before the leaves appear, have been loved since the Manyo period. The leaves are elliptical to egg-shaped, and the flowers, which grow in groups of 1 to 3 in the axils of the previous year's branches, are almost stalkless, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, white to red, and generally have five petals. The flowering plum varieties that are used as garden trees, bonsai, and cut flowers were mainly created during the Edo period, and there are still more than 300 of them today. Broadly speaking, there are the wild plum varieties that are close to the original species, the green calyx or blue-stem varieties with green flowering twigs and calyx, the red plum varieties with red pith on old branches, the apricot varieties that were created by crossing with apricots, the Bungo varieties with twigs that turn purple-red in autumn and winter and large flowers, and the weeping varieties with drooping branches. Those cultivated for the purpose of harvesting their fruit are called Miume, and Shirakaga and Koume are famous throughout the country. The main producing areas are Wakayama, Gunma, Nagano, etc. Planting only one variety does not produce good fruit, so several varieties need to be planted together. Harvesting begins around mid-June, and the fruit is used to make umeboshi, umeshu, ume vinegar, etc. In the past, immature plums were used as mordants and medicinals, either as ubai (karasume) made by removing the flesh from unripe plums or as mukiume (peeled plums) made by drying them. The immature fruit contains amygdalin, which is poisonous if eaten raw.
→Related topicsManyo plants

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

中国原産のバラ科の落葉小高木で，九州には野生があるという。初春，葉に先だって香り高く咲く花は万葉以来愛されてきた。葉は楕円形〜卵形，花は前年の枝の葉腋に１〜３個ついてほとんど柄がなく，径２〜2.5cm，白色〜紅色，花弁は５枚が基本である。庭木，盆栽，切花として観賞する花梅(はなうめ)の品種は，おもに江戸時代に作られ，現在でも300以上がある。大別して，原種に近い野梅(やばい)性，花のつく小枝とがくが緑色をした緑萼(りょくがく)あるいは青軸(あおじく)性，古枝の髄まで赤い紅梅性，アンズと交雑して作られたアンズ性，秋〜冬に小枝が紫紅色になり大輪の花が咲く豊後(ぶんご)性のほか，枝のしだれる枝垂(しだれ)性などの系統がある。果実を収穫する目的で栽培されるものは実梅(みうめ)といわれ，〈白加賀〉〈小梅〉が全国的に有名。おもな産地は和歌山，群馬，長野など。同一品種だけでは実りが悪いので，数品種混植する必要がある。収穫は６月中旬ころからで，果実は梅干，梅酒，梅酢などにされる。昔は未熟な実をふすべた烏梅(うばい)/(からすうめ)や青梅の果肉をはいで乾燥した剥梅(むきうめ)として，媒染剤や薬用にもされた。未熟果はアミグダリンを含み，生食すると有毒である。
→関連項目万葉植物

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