常磐山査子(ピラカンサ) firethorn

　ピラカンサの、鈴なりの赤い実が目を引きます。これだけたくさんの実が生っているので、花も沢山咲いたと思いますが、印象にありません。ここは、時々通る散歩道なんですが。
　10月から11月頃の赤い実には、微量の毒素が含まれています。1月から2月頃になると、実は熟し（色は赤のまま）毒性も抜けるので、鳥たちの恰好の食べ物になります。ピラカンサの生存戦略は、種が未熟なうちに食べ尽くされないよう、完熟のまえには、微量の毒や渋みを持たせています。これは、発芽能力を持った種を、鳥に食べてもらい、遠くに運んでもらうためです。

　The red berries really catch the eye, growing in clusters on the Firethorn. Since there are so many fruits growing, I imagine there must have been plenty of flowers as well, but I don’t recall seeing any. However, this is a walking path I sometimes take. 
　The red berries that appear from around October through November contain tiny amounts of toxins. From January through February, they actually ripen (color is still red) and lose their toxicity, making them a perfect food source for birds. As a survival strategy, Firethorn develops a slight toxicity and astringency before the fruit is fully ripe to prevent the seeds from being eaten while they are still immature. This is so that birds will eat the seeds, which are capable of germinating, and carry them to distant locations. 

洋菊(ガーデンマム) garden mum

　先日、ガーデンマムの写真を投稿したばかりですが、またもや、息をのむほど美しく咲いている花と出会えました。

　I just posted photos of Garden Mums the other day, but I have come across another stunning bloom. 

 

柳葉ルイラ草(ルエリア) Mexican petunia

　ルエリアの花びらの質感は、織物の縮緬（ちりめん）のようで、薄紫の色と相まって、和風の雰囲気が感じられます。しかしながら、この植物は原産地は熱帯アメリカです。

　The texture of the petals of Mexican Petunia resembles that of "chirimen fabric", and combined with the light purple color, it creates a traditional Japanese atmosphere. However, this plant is native to tropical America.
　※ chirimen(縮緬) fabric: It's a Japanese fabric with a unique textured and bumpy appearance created through the use of heavily twisted threads, commonly utilized for garments like Kimono, wrapping cloths known as Furoshiki(風呂敷), and traditional items. 

柿(カキ) Japanese persimmon / kaki

　日本では、柿の実が生っている風景は、珍しくありません。一方、ヨーロッパでは、柿が商業栽培されているのは、主にスペインやイタリア南部、ポルトガルといった、地中海沿岸の温暖な地域に限られています。そのため、イギリス、ドイツ、フランス北部、北欧などに住む人々は、木に生っている柿を、見る機会がほとんど、あるいはまったくない、と聞いたことがあります。
　日本でも、木あるいは草に生っているのを、見る機会がないけれど、よく食べるフルーツは、たくさんあります。例えば、バナナ、パイナップル、アボカド、グレープフルーツなどです。
　ところ変われば品変わるですね。

　In Japan, it's common to see persimmons growing on trees. In Europe, however, commercial cultivation of persimmons is limited mainly to warm regions along the Mediterranean coast, such as Spain, southern Italy, and Portugal. For that reason, I’ve heard that people living in the United Kingdom, Germany, northern France, and the Nordic countries rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to see persimmons growing on trees. 
　Even in Japan, there are many fruits that we eat regularly, even though we rarely get the chance to see them growing on trees or in grasses. For example, banana, pineapple, avocado, and grapefruit. 
　Different places, different ways of living, doesn't it?

 

花磯菊(ハナイソギク) hana-iso-giku (hybrid chrysanthemum)

　ハナイソギクは、イソギクと栽培種のキクの自然交配種です。ハナイソギクの花には、イソギクにはない舌状花を、花の周囲に持っています。この舌状花は通常白か黄色ですが、写真の花では薄い赤色が、特に蕾の状態で目立っています。栽培種のキクの遺伝子を、受け継いでいるのでしょう。

　The "Hana-Iso-Giku" is a natural hybrid of the "Iso-Giku" and a cultivated variety of chrysanthemum. 
　Both "Hana-Iso-Giku" and "Iso-Giku" are Japanese names. Their scientific names are "Chrysanthemum pacificum" and "Chrysanthemum × marginatum," respectively.
　The flowers of the "Hana-Iso-Giku" have ray florets around the flower, which the "Iso-Giku" does not have. These ray florets are usually white or yellow, but in the flower shown in the photo, a pale red color stands out, especially when the flower is still in bud. It must have inherited the genes of cultivated chrysanthemums. 

Japanese silver grass

　ススキは、日本の秋の情緒を代表するイネ科の植物です。
　茅葺き（かやぶき）屋根に使われる材料には、いろいろありますが、ススキがその代表格です。寿命はおよそ15〜30年程度あります。白川郷（岐阜県白川村）の合掌造りの茅葺き屋根には、主にススキが使われており、日本の原風景を残しています。

　Japanese Silver Grass is a grass species that epitomizes the atmosphere of autumn in Japan.
　There are various materials used for thatched roofs, but Japanese Silver Grass is the most common. Its lifespan is approximately 15 to 30 years. The thatched roofs of the gassho-style houses in Shirakawa-go (Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture) are made primarily of Japanese Silver Grass, preserving a traditional Japanese landscape.
　※ Thatched roof: A traditional Japanese roof made by bundling plants such as Japanese Silver Grass and stacking them in thick layers to cover the roof of a building. 

　source: Shirakawa Village Official Website

野朝顔(ノアサガオ) blue morning glory

　ノアサガオの花は、朝は鮮やかな青紫色ですが、時間が経つにつれ、赤紫色へと変化します。アサガオは、午前中に萎んでしまいますが、ノアサガオは、午後も開花しています。人気のある植物ですが、繁殖力が旺盛なため、環境省の「生態系被害防止外来種リスト」では、重点対策外来種に指定されています。

　The flowers of the Blue Morning Glory are a vivid blue-purple in the morning, but as the time goes on, they change to a reddish-purple. While Morning Glories wilt during the morning, the Blue Morning Glory remains in bloom even in the afternoon. Although it is a popular plant, it is highly invasive and has been designated as a priority invasive alien species on the Ministry of the Environment’s "List of Alien Species with Potential to Cause Adverse Effects on Ecosystems in Japan."