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The "Iwa-ougi" (Hedysarum vicioides) belongs to Fabaceae (the Pea family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed northward from Chubu district of Honshu to Hokkaido, as well as the northern Korean Peninsula, northeastern China and East Siberia. This herb grows in sub-alpine to alpine screes or grasslands, and can reach 30-80 cm in height. The leaves are impari-pinnate compound with 5-12 pairs of narrow ovate leaflets. The flowering stalks are borne and the pale yellowish white flowers bloom facing downward from July to August. The Japanese name comes from its resemblance to "ougi" (Astragalus membranaceus), a herb used in traditional Chinese medicine as a tonic, and the fact that it grows on rocky ground. It is called "太白岩黄耆" (tai bai yan huang qi) in Chinese.
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