ハエドクソウ

一見何の変哲もない草だが、毒草ということです。ハエドクソウ。その昔、殺虫剤などがまだなかった頃、この草から抽出した液を、ハエの駆除に使ったとか。便所に投げ入れたのではなく、はえ取り紙を作る、つまり粘りの強いのりなどに混ぜてはえを捕らえたとか。植物体そのものはさほど大きくなく、ヌスビトハギに似たピンクのかわいい花を咲かせ、種子はイノコズチの実に似ています。

Haedokusou, literally fly-poisoning plant, (Phryma leptostachya subsp asiatica) is a seemingly innocuous plant, but it is poisonous. Formerly, when there were no chemical insecticides avaiable, an extract from this plant was used as an insecticide for flies. Instead of throwing it in the latrine to kill the larvae, people added the extract on flypaper. Namely, they mixed it with sticky substance to catch and kill the flies. The plant itself is not very large, and has pretty pink flowers similar to those of the Nusubito hagi, and the seeds resemble the fruit of the dogtooth vine.

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Photo 2021-10-16

ハエドクソウ

渓流沿いの林縁にハエドクソウを見つけました。これは名前の通り、昔からハエ取りに使った植物です。根をすり下ろしたり、煮詰めたりしたものではえ取り紙を作ったとのことです。実際に試して見ていませんので、効果の程は未知数です。

I found a Haedokusou, lopseed (Phryma leptostachya), at the edge of the forest along the stream. As the name suggests (hae: fly; doku: poison; sou: plant), this is a plant that has been used to poison and catch flies for centuries. The roots were grated or boiled down to make flypaper. I haven't actually tried it yet, so I don't know how effective it is.

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Photo 2021-10-16