Flower of the Week / 今週の花

Scabiosa


Scabiosa is a genus in the teasel Family Dipsacaceae of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious; however some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in related genera such as Knautia and Succisa; at least some of these were formerly placed in Scabiosa. Another common name for members of this genus is pincushion flowers.


Members of this genus are native to Europe and Asia. Some species of Scabiosa, notably small scabious (S. columbaria) and Mediterranean sweet scabious (S. atropurpurea) have been developed into cultivars for gardeners.


Scabiosa plants have many small flowers of soft lavender blue, lilac or creamy white colour borne in a single head on a tall stalk. Scabious flowers are nectar rich and attract a variety of insects including moths and butterflies such as the Six-spot Burnet. Scabiosa species are also used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Grey Pug.


In 1782, a mysterious pale yellow scabious, called Scabiosa trenta, was described by Belsazar Hacquet, an Austrian physician, botanist, and mountaineer, in his work Plantae alpinae Carniolicae. It became a great source of inspiration for later botanists and mountaineers discovering the Julian Alps, especially Julius Kugy. The Austrian botanist Anton Kerner von Marilaun later proved Belsazar Hacquet had not found a new species, but a specimen of the already known submediterranean Cephalaria leucantha.


Floriography - Unfortunate Love, grief

スカビオサ


スカビオサはヨーロッパを中心としてアジア、アフリカまで約80種類が分布します。毎年花を咲かせる多年草のものと一度花を咲かせて実を結ぶと枯れてしまう1・2年草のものがあります。園芸でよく栽培されるのは1年草のセイヨウマツムシソウ（スカビオサ・アトルプルプレア）や多年草のコーカサスマツムシソウ（スカビオサ・カウカシカ）などで鉢植えや切り花として出回っています。また、バラエティーに富んだ園芸品種もあります。一般にスカビオサというと外国産の洋種を挿すことが多いです。


日本にもマツムシソウ（スカビオサ・ジャポニカ）１種が分布します。マツムシソウは日本各地の草地に自生し秋の高原を彩る山野草として親しまれています。タカネマツムシソウ、ソナレマツムシソウなどの変種が存在します。洋種のスカビオサとは分けて扱うこともあります。


スカビオサはラテン語で「疥癬（かいせん）」という意味で、この植物が皮膚病の薬として用いられたことに由来します。


花言葉 - 不運な愛,  朝の花嫁,  風情,  魅力