ひめつるにちにちそう (姫蔓日日草) [Index] [Back] 中央および南ヨーロッパ、それにトルコに分布しています。落葉樹林の中や林縁、道ばたや荒れ地に生え、高さは１０〜２０センチになります。茎は地面を這い、節から発根しながら、長さは５０センチほどに伸びます。葉は長円形から楕円形または卵形、深緑色で革質、対生します。４月から７月ごろ、茎の上部の葉腋から、紫色や青色、白色、赤紫色などの筒状花を咲かせます。花は直径２．５〜３センチで筒部は細く、花冠は大きく５裂して平開します。花の中央には副花冠があります。近縁の「つるにちにちそう」に似ていますが、高さが低く、葉や花がやや小さいのが特徴です。  キョウチクトウ科ツルニチニチソウ属の常緑小低木で、学名は Vinca minor。英名は Lesser periwinkle、Dwarf periwinkle。  The Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) belongs to belongs to Apocynaceae (the Dogbane family). It is an evergreen shrub that is distributed in central and southern Europe, as well as in Turkey. It grows in deciduous forests, at forest margins, along roadsides, and in rough terrain, and is 10 to 20 cm tall. The stems crawl on the ground, rooting from the nodes and growing to a length of about 50 cm. Tubular purple, blue, white, or reddish purple flowers bloom from April to July from the leaf axils at the top of the stem. The flowers are 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter with a narrow tubular part, and the corolla has five large lobes that open flat. There is a corona in the center of the flower. It is similar to the closely related "Greater periwinkle", but is shorter in height and has slightly smaller leaves and flowers.  秋田県仙北市田沢湖「ハートハーブ」にて、2022年06月26日撮影。  Shu Suehiro shu@botanic.jp