Waremokou - Great burnet

Japanese: ワレモコウ - われもこう（英語表記）great burnet

A perennial plant of the Rosaceae family (APG classification: Rosaceae). It is widely distributed in Eurasia, and grows in grasslands in various mountains and fields in Japan. The stem is 30-100 cm tall, erect, and branches at the top, with short spikes at the end of the stem and branches. The entire plant is hairless. The leaves are alternate, and the basal leaves are oblong, odd-pinnate, compound, and have long petioles. There are 7-11 leaflets, which are oblong, have serrated edges, and short pedicels. The stem leaves become smaller and sessile toward the top. The inovate to elliptical, dark red-purple spikes bloom from July to September, starting with the top flower. There are no petals, the calyx is dark red-purple and has four lobes, the four stamens are shorter than the calyx lobes, and the anthers are black. The rhizome is thick and runs transversely, producing many slender (sometimes spindle-shaped) roots, reddish brown in color.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the dried underground part is called chiyu and is used as a hemostatic, astringent and antipyretic to treat diarrhea, dysentery, excessive menstruation, hemoptysis, skin diseases, cuts and hot spring burns. The Chinese name for Waremoko is also chiyu. In Japan, Waremoko is sometimes referred to as Gomokukou or Amagasakikou, but there is no basis for this. The Honzo Komoku Keimou states, "There are many plants with the same name as Waremoko. Grasses similar to Thymus vulgare (Lamiaceae), Okera (Asteraceae) and Karukaya (Poaceae) are all called Waremokou."

[Motoo Nagasawa January 21, 2020]

Cultural history

Waremokou, which can be interpreted as "I (waremo matabeni)", is a modern ateji (phonophonic) slang. In the "Niounomiya" chapter of the Tale of Genji, there is a passage in which Niouhyobukyo plants Waremokou in his garden, which suggests a connection to the spice mokkou. However, Waremokou has no scent, and the original mokkou is a herb of the Asteraceae family in northern India, and it is not similar in appearance. According to botanist Fumio Maekawa, the mokou crest on the cap top of the blinds resembles the flowers and buds of Waremokou, and because it has a crack, it is said to have originated from Waremokou (split mokkou) ("Japanese and Plants"). In China, the name Chiyu appears in the Shennong Materia Medica, and Chiyu is mentioned in the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki as a product of Nita county.

[Hiroshi Yuasa January 21, 2020]

Waremoko
The stem is upright and branches at the top. From July to September, short spike-like inflorescences appear on the stem and at the end of the branches. It is also used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a dye. ©Seishohmaru ">

Waremoko

Burnettsius flower
It has flower spikes at the ends of the stems and branches, but no petals. What look like dark red-purple petals are actually the calyx. ©Seishohmaru ">

Burnettsius flower

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

バラ科（APG分類：バラ科）の多年草。ユーラシア大陸に広く分布し、日本では各地山野の草地に生ずる。茎は高さ30～100センチメートル、直立して上部で分枝し、茎と枝の先に短い穂状花序をつける。全株無毛。葉は互生し、根生葉は長楕円(ちょうだえん)形の奇数羽状複葉で長い葉柄がある。小葉は7～11個つき、長楕円形で縁(へり)に鋸歯(きょし)があり、短い小柄をもつ。茎葉は上部にいくにつれて小形になり、無柄となる。倒卵形ないし楕円形、暗紅紫色の穂状花序は、7～9月、上部の花から開花する。花弁はなく、萼(がく)は暗紅紫色で4裂し、雄蕊(ゆうずい)（雄しべ）4個は萼裂片より短く、葯(やく)は黒色。根茎は太くて横走し、多数の細長い（ときに紡錘形）の根をつける。色は赤褐色。

　漢方では、乾燥した地下部を地楡(ちゆ)といい、止血、収斂(しゅうれん)、解熱剤として下痢、赤痢、月経過多、喀血(かっけつ)、皮膚病、切り傷、湯火傷などの治療に用いる。なお、ワレモコウの漢名も地楡である。また、日本ではワレモコウに吾木香、吾亦紅などをあてることもあるが根拠はない。『本草綱目啓蒙(ほんぞうこうもくけいもう)』には「ワレモコウに同名多し。ジャコウソウ（シソ科）、オケラ（キク科）、カルカヤ（イネ科）に似たる草、みなワレモコウの名あり」とある。

［長沢元夫　2020年1月21日］

文化史

吾(われ)も亦(また)紅と解釈する吾亦紅は、近代の当て字で、『源氏物語』の「匂宮(におうのみや)」には匂兵部卿(におうひょうぶきょう)が庭に吾木香を植えるくだりがあり、香料の木香(もっこう)との関連を思わせるが、ワレモコウに香りはなく、本来の木香はインド北部のキク科の草本で、形態も類似しない。植物学者の前川文夫によると、御簾(みす)の上部にかぶせた帽額(もこう)につけられた木瓜(もこう)紋とワレモコウの花やつぼみが似て、割れ目があるので割木瓜(われもこう)から由来したとされる（『日本人と植物』）。中国では『神農本草経(しんのうほんぞうきょう)』に地楡(ちゆ)の名がみえ、地楡は『出雲国風土記(いずものくにふどき)』に仁多(にた)郡の産物としてあがる。

［湯浅浩史　2020年1月21日］

ワレモコウ

ワレモコウの花

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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