虎杖(イタドリ) Japanese knotweed

　随分前の春のことですが、タケノコのように地面から突き出てくる、太く水分を含んだイタドリの新芽を食べたことがあります。美味しくはありませんでした。今思えば、私の料理の味付けが、稚拙だったのでしょう。
　写真は、雄花をつけた状態です。通称スカンポと呼ばれる新芽の茎の太さに比べ、現在の茎は細いので、その違いに違和感を感じます。この植物は、遺伝的に肥大成長より伸長成長を選んだのでしょう。

　One spring along years ago, I hve eaten the thick, juicy new shoots of Japanese knotweed that were popping up out of the ground one after another, just like bamboo shoots. It didn't taste good. Looking back, I think the problem was that I seasoned the dish incorrectly.
　The photo shows the plant as it is now, with male flowers. Compared to the thickness of the young shoots—commonly known as “skampo” in Japanese —the current stems are thin, so the difference feels a bit off. I suppose that this plant is genetically programmed to prioritize stem elongation over stem thickening.

 

Skampo