Lady’s grass is a flower known as Christmas rose, meaning that it is a flower like a lady.  As the name suggests, it begins to bloom at Christmas time, and the appearance of it blooming vigorously even in the midwinter snow is like a lady.  It was surprisingly old that it was introduced to Japan, and it is said that it was in the late Edo period.  Initially, it seems that it was introduced as a medicinal plant, and it was secretly enjoyed by some tea people under the names of “Yukiokoshi” and “Kanshakuyaku”.  The original scientific name is “Hellebore”, and in Greek it means “you die when you eat.”  In fact, the roots and stems of Christmas roses are extremely poisonous, and the juice extracted from them was applied to the tip of the arrow and used when hunting animals such as deer and foxes, and was also used in warfare.  It is also a flower that is likened to “Beautiful flowers are poisonous.”

貴婦人草とは貴婦人のような草花と言う意味で、クリスマスローズで知られている花です。その名の通り、クリスマス時分に咲き始め、真冬の雪の中でも元気良く咲く姿は貴婦人の趣があります。日本に移入されたのは意外に古く、江戸時代末期とされています。当初は薬用植物として移入された様で、一部の茶人達の間で「雪おこし」とか「寒芍薬」と言う名で密やかに楽しまれていました。本来の学名はヘレボルスで、ギリシャ語では「食べると死ぬ」と言う意味があるそうです。実際、クリスマスローズの根や茎などには猛毒が含まれていて、そこから抽出した絞り汁を矢の先に塗り鹿や狐などの動物を狩るときに使ったり、戦争にも使われました。「美しい花には毒がある」の喩え通りの花でもあります。