スミレの山　高尾山⑪　マルバスミレ Takao, the mountain of violets: No.11 Maruba-sumire

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高尾山は、知る人ぞ知るスミレの山。
日本では、約５０種のスミレの野生種(*1)が確認されていますが、高尾にはそのうち１８種が自生している(*2)と言われています。高尾山ならびにその周辺では、毎年３月上旬から５月下旬にかけて、あちこちで可憐なスミレの花々を観察することができます。

Mt. Takao is known as habitats for a wide variety of wild violet flowers (in Japanese, sumire, or “Sue-Mee-Ray”). In Japan, about 50 species of wild violets (*1) have been confirmed, and 18 of them are said to grow naturally in the Mt. Takao area(*2). Every year from the beginning of March to the end of May, you can find pretty violet flowers all over the place in Mt. Takao and its surroundings.

(Stealing and vandalizing wild plants in the areas designated under the Natural Parks Act are illegal and subject to a criminal charge.)
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マルバスミレ（Viola keiskei）は、高尾のスミレの中では遅咲きで、４月の上旬頃にその盛りを迎えます。盛りの時期になると他のスミレの多くは花を落としていますので、山道では主役級の存在になります。まるで、それを狙っているかのようです。

Among the violets in Takao, the blooming season for Maruba-sumire (Viola keiskei) is relatively late in spring, reaching their peak around the beginning of April. In their peak season, most of the other violets in Takao have already dropped their flowers; consequentially Maruba-sumire become a main actor of that season in the trails, as if that were something they had intended to.

個体数は多いのですが、麓ではあまり見かけません。高尾山の山中では多く見られるのですが、多くの方々がおっしゃるとおり、確かに際立った特徴がなく、他のスミレとの区別がつきづらいかもしれません。名前の由来である丸い葉も、そこまで特徴的ではないように思います。しかし、親が双子をすぐに見分けられるように、観察を重ねると、他のスミレと容易に区別ができるようになります。花の形も葉の形も、ありふれているようで他のスミレとは全く違うのです。

In their booming season, they are easily found in the mountains, but not too often at the foot of the mountain. As many people say, they do not appear to have features distinctive from other violets, which makes the identification difficult. Their round leaves, which are the origin of the name, do not appear to be very distinctive compared with other violets. However, just as parents can identify which one of the twins, you will be able to distinguish them readily after having observed them so many and so much. In fact, the shapes of the flower and leaves are nothing like other violets.

花の季節が遅めなので、見かけるようになるとスミレの季節も終わりに近づいていることを感じさせます。

Because their blooming season is relatively late amongst violets in Takao, when I see them, they remind me that the season of violets is approaching to an end.

＊１
門田裕一,『日本の野生植物 ３』, (平凡社、2016), P.209
Yuichi Kadota, "Wild Flowers of Japan 3," (Heibonsha K.K. 2016), P.209
＊2
東京都　高尾山ビジターセンター
The Takao Visitor Center

スミレ三昧 – 東京都　高尾ビジターセンター