ざいふりぼく (采振木)

Amelanchier asiatica

Amelanchier asiatica

Amelanchier asiatica

Amelanchier asiatica

わが国の本州、岩手県以南から四国、九州それに朝鮮半島や中国に分布しています。雑木林の林縁などに生え、高さは5〜10メートルになります。葉は楕円形で互生し、先端が鋭く尖って縁には細かい鋸歯があります。4月から5月ごろ、枝先に白い花を咲かせます。和名は、花のかたちを「采配(さいはい)」に見立てたもの。別名で「しでざくら(四手桜)」とも呼ばれます。 
バラ科ザイフリボク属の落葉小高木で、学名は Amelanchier asiatica。英名は Korean juneberry。 
The Korean juneberry (Amelanchier asiatica) belongs to Rosaceae (the Rose family). It is a semi-taal deciduous tree that is distributed southward from Iwate prefecture of Honshu to Shikoku, Kyushu in Japan, the Korean Peninsula and China. It grows on the edges of thickets and is 5 to 10 m high. The leaves are elliptic and alternate, with sharp tips and fine serrations on the edges. White flowers come on the tips of the branches from April to May. The Japanese name is the shape of a flower that is likened to "Sai-hai" (a baton carried by samurai commanders in feudal Japan). It is also known as "Shide-zakura" in Japan. 
岐阜県瑞浪市釜戸町にて、2005年04月30日撮影。 

Shu Suehiro
shu@botanic.jp