ワンちゃんのトリミングを待つ間、一息入れに来てくださったN様。お土産に涼しげなお花をいただきました。水の吸い上げが難しいらしく濡れた新聞紙に包み更に氷水に入れて頂いたので、私も花瓶に氷をたくさんいれてガラスの花瓶に挿しました。名前を伺いその後のお客様にも紹介していたのに、ブログを書こうと思ったら、果て名前が思い出せません。確かお化粧の音が入っていたとネットで「薄化粧？」「墨化粧？」などと打ち込んでも出てきません。挙句に植物に詳しい友人に写真をとって教えてもらおうと送信した直後に思い出しました！これは「半夏生（はんげしょう）」です。
半夏生とは節分や土用などの暦日だそうで、夏至（6/21)から数えて１１日目を言うとのこと。その頃に花をつけるからこの名前がついたそうです。ネットではこの頃に関西ではタコを食べる風習があると解説にありました。上の方の葉が白くなって見るからに涼感が漂います。短い梅雨があっという間に明けた途端、猛暑がやってきました。こんな涼しげな植物がそばにあるだけで、ほっとした気持ちになれます。
Ms.N came to the cafe to have a cup of coffee while she was waiting for her dog's trimming to be finished. She brought a bunch of white flowers with leaves, the tops of which were white. They were wrapped with soaked newspaper and put in iced water in order to absorb the water well, so I put a lot of ice in the vase and put the flowers in it. Ms. N taught me the name of the flower and I told it to other customers but when I was about to write it on SNS, I couldn't remember the name. I decided to take a photo of it and send it to my friend to ask the name. I was just about to send it, and I remembered the name. It was Hangeshoh (Saururus chinensis)!
The name of Hangeshoh came from the classic Japanese calendar Hangeshoh and it is the 11th day after the summer solstice. This flower opens just around the day and that is the reason it is called Hangeshoh. Some people in the Kansai area eat octopus in this season as a local custom.
Only the top leaves turn to white and it looks cool during the hot summer season. I heard that it is used for tea ceremonies. In Japan, the hot and humid summer has just begun. It is very nice to put these flowers which look cool.
