White Ajuga 白のアジュガ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are white Ajuga. I've seen purple and pink Ajuga, but this is my first time seeing white ones.

Ajuga is native to Europe and western and central Asia, but it can now be found across Japan. You can mainly see two types of Ajuga in Japan: Ajuga reptans or bugleweed, which is native to Europe and grows taller, and Ajuga decumbens, which is native to Japan and low-growing. Ajuga is so hardy that you can find them in many places, even on sidewalks in central Tokyo. Although they differ in height, their flowers look very similar.

Japanese ajuga has various Japanese names, such as jigoku no kama no futa—which translates to 'lid of the cauldron of hell' because the low-growing plant hugs the ground—and isha goroshi, meaning '(plant) keeping doctors away' due to its pain-relief effects. If you want to see Japanese ajuga, read this post.

European and Japanese ajuga are both small and beautiful, and they always bring me happiness with their funny flower shape, which looks to me like a person floating with open arms!

2026/4/17

 

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白のアジュガです。紫とピンクのアジュガを見たことはありましたが白は初めてです。

アジュガにはいろいろ種類があり、セイヨウキランソウ（西洋金瘡小草）は名前の通り欧州原産でとっても丈夫。上に上に伸びます。一方、日本原産のキランソウ（金瘡小草）は地べたを這うように繁殖します。でも、西洋キランソウもキランソウも花はそっくりで形がとてもユニーク。私には手を広げて浮かんでいる人に見えます。

キランソウは別名「ジゴクノカマノフタ（地獄の釜の蓋）」。葉が地面に張り付くように広がる様子を地獄の釜の蓋（ふた）に見立てたとのこと。また、薬草としての効能から「イシャゴロシ（医者殺し）」とも呼ばれています。日本のアジュガにご興味ある方はこちらの記事をお読みください。

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