The "Inu-tade" (Persicaria longiseta) belongs to Polygonaceae (the Knotweed family). It is an annual herb that is native to Japan, the Korean Peninsula and China. It is a weed which can be found anywhere. This herb grows in roadsides, fields or waste lands and can reach 30-40 cm in height. Its flower season is June through October. It is smaller than the Curlytop knotweed (Persicaria lapathifolia) and its flowering spikes are short and not drooping. In the old days, we called them "akamanma" and used them for playing house. It seems that the word "inu" is attached to things that are not real, of inferior quality, or useless. Its Chinese name is "長鬃蓼" (chang zong liao).