Japanese burdock - Yamagobo

A perennial plant of the Phytolacca family (APG classification: Phytolacca). The entire plant is glabrous. The stem is cylindrical and thick, reaching a height of 1.5 meters. The leaves are alternate, elliptical or egg-elliptical, 10-20 cm long, widest in the middle, and sharply pointed at the tip. From summer to autumn, the plant produces a raceme with a short stalk that grows upright from the branch, about 15 cm long, and produces dense white flowers. The flowers have short stalks, five tepals, and are ovate with rounded tips. There are eight stamens and pale pink anthers. The pistil is pale green and has eight carpels arranged in a ring. The spike is upright, and the berry ripens to black-purple with persistent calyx attached, and has eight carpels arranged in a ring. There is one black seed. Native to China, it is cultivated. The name comes from the fact that the roots resemble burdock. The roots are used as a diuretic in traditional Chinese medicine, and the young leaves are edible. The roots contain poison. The edible plant known as mountain burdock is different from this species; it is the Gobo-azami (burdock thistle) and Mori-azami (wood thistle) of the Cirsium genus of the Asteraceae family. It resembles the closely related American pokeweed native to North America, but the latter can be distinguished by the fact that its inflorescence droops during the fruiting period and that it has five carpels. Most members of the Phytolacca family are found in the tropics, and there are around 120 species in around 17 genera.

[Junko Kobayashi February 17, 2021]

In the APG classification, there are about 5 genera and 33 species in the world. The genus Jutecoral, which was previously included in the family Phytolacca, is now separated into the family Jutecoralline in the APG classification.

[Editorial Department, February 17, 2021]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ヤマゴボウ科（APG分類：ヤマゴボウ科）の多年草。全草無毛。茎は円柱形で肥厚し、高さ1.5メートルに達する。葉は互生し、楕円(だえん)形または卵状楕円形で、長さ10～20センチメートル、中央がもっとも広く、先端は急に鋭くとがる。夏から秋、枝から約15センチメートルの花茎を直立して、短い柄のある総状花序をつくり、白色花を密に開く。花は短い柄があり、花被片(かひへん)は5枚、卵形で先は丸い。雄しべは8本、葯(やく)は淡紅色。雌しべは淡緑色で、8個の心皮が輪状に並ぶ。果穂は直立し、液果は宿存萼(がく)をつけたまま黒紫色に熟し、8個の分果が輪状に並ぶ。種子は黒色で1個。中国原産で、栽培される。名は、根がゴボウに似ることによる。根は漢方で利尿薬に用い、若葉は食用とする。根に毒を含む。山牛蒡とよんで食用にするのは本種とは別物で、キク科アザミ属のゴボウアザミやモリアザミである。北アメリカ原産の近縁のヨウシュヤマゴボウに似るが、ヨウシュヤマゴボウは、花序が果実期に垂れ下がり、心皮が5個なので区別できる。ヤマゴボウ科の多くは熱帯に分布し、約17属約120種ある。

［小林純子　2021年2月17日］

　APG分類では世界に約5属33種がある。ヤマゴボウ科に含まれていたジュズサンゴ属などはAPG分類ではジュズサンゴ科として独立した。

［編集部　2021年2月17日］

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