トベラの実

嵐山東公園でトベラの実が開き始めました。鮮やかな赤い実は野鳥たちの大好物。これからの季節、メジロ、シジュウカラ、ツグミなど、たくさんの野鳥たちがついばみに来ることでしょう。早くなくなる実ほど美味しいと、野鳥たちは教えてくれます。

トベラの学名はPittosporum tobiraで、属名はpitta（pitch, 樹脂）とsporus（seed, 種子）に由来し、粘液質の樹液に覆われた種子を描写しています。種小名のtobiraは、日本語の「扉」で、これはこの樹木の切り口から（あるいは焼くと）放たれる悪臭が邪気を退散させると信じられ、扉に飾られて「扉の木」とされ、それが訛って「トベラ」となったことから来ています。このことで、地方によってはヒイラギの代わりに、節分の際に戸口に鰯のアタまをっして飾るところもあるとか。学名の命名は1811年、William Townsend Aiton (1766–1849) によるもので、彼は1793-1841年に英国王立キューガーデンの園長を務めました。

The fruits of the tobera tree, Japanese pittosporum, have begun to open in Arashiyama Higashi Park. The bright red berries are a favorite of wild birds. Many wild birds such as white-eyes, titmice, and thrushes will come to peck at them. Wild birds will tell you that the sooner the berries disappear, the better they taste.

The scientific name of the tobera is Pittosporum tobira, and the genus name is derived from pitta (pitch, resin) and sporus (seed, seed), describing seeds covered with sticky sap. The species minor name, tobira, is Japanese for "door," which comes from the fact that the foul odor emitted from the cuts (or when burned) of this tree was believed to repel evil spirits and was displayed on doors, making it a tobira no ki, or "door tree," which in turn became "tobera. Because of this, in some regions of Japan, instead of holly, tobera leaves with sardine heads are used to decorate doorways during Setsubun. Incidentally, the scientific name was given in 1811 by William Townsend Aiton (1766-1849), who was the director of the Royal Kew Gardens from 1793 to 1841. 

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Photo 2011-11-24