A camphor plant named by Tomitaro Makino Yokkaichi City

2023-04-30 04:09:46

A perennial saprophyte named by the botanist Tomitaro Makino (1862-1957), who is the model for the main character in the NHK TV series Ranman. It was discovered 120 years ago in a forest in Hongo, Kusunoki-cho, Yokkaichi City, but it is not confirmed today. Experts aiming to rediscover Hongo are frequenting surveys like Makino once was.[Herbal lily and Dr. Tomitaro Makino]

Hongo-so is written in Chinese characters as “Hongo grass” and was discovered in 1903 by Mr. Kumezo Imai and Mr. Eijiro Uematsu, who were from the same district and worked at Yokkaichi Jinjo High School (now Chubu Nishi Elementary School). rice field. The stems sticking out from the ground are 3 to 5 cm long, and the scale-like leaves are extremely small, 1.5 mm long. From July to October, male flowers are put on the tip of the stem, and female flowers are put on the bottom. It is said that it is difficult to find because it grows in the dark forest, blending in with the fallen leaves. It is said that the forest where it was discovered has disappeared due to subsequent river construction. According to records, Makino visited Yokkaichi City at least eight times to survey plants.

In 2018, about 200 plant specimens kept at the Kusunoki Exchange Hall were transferred to the Yokkaichi City Museum. There are also specimens of hongou-sou, some of which were created by Mr. Imai and have a red seal of “Named by Mr. Tomitaro Makino”.
After the specimen was transferred to the museum, curator Takuya Mori, 70, visited Hongo last year, using holidays from July to September to coincide with the flowering season. He searched for it in the woods even on a hot day, but could not find it. As he crawled on the ground looking for him, locals said he wondered, “What are you doing?”
Previously, Mr. Mori was the first in the world to succeed in the long-term breeding of dugongs at Toba Aquarium. Although he specializes in marine life, his inquisitiveness as an expert has been ignited. I also visited the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya City to see the real thing. Looking back on the blooming flowers, he said, “It’s really beautiful and mysterious.”

According to Mr. Mori, curators from the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens are also visiting Hongo for research. Mr. Mori puts up a notice saying, “I’m looking for hongo-sou,” at the Kusunoki Museum of History and Folklore in his hometown, and calls on local residents and visitors to cooperate in rediscovering it.
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At the Yokkaichi City Museum, a special exhibition introducing the relationship between Makino and Yokkaichi, “Yokkaichi as seen by Tomitaro Makino – Botanical Specimens Beyond 120 Years -” is open until May 7th (Sun). Free admission. Closed on Mondays (open on the 1st).
For inquiries, please contact the same building at 059-355-2700.