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The Blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) belongs to Iridaceae (the Iris family). It is an evergreen herb that is distributed westward from Honsh to Shikoku, Kyushu of Japan, Taiwan and China. This herb grows in sunny grasslands of mountains, and can reach 60-100 cm in height. The leaves are lance-shaped and 30-50 cm long. The stems are branched at the upper part and bear several flower bracts. The orange flowers bloom in August and September. The outer tepals and inner tepals are equal, with red spots on the inside. The fruit is a capsule with black seeds inside. In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "射干" and in Chinese "射干" (she gan).
This seed was called "nuba-tama" in the past. This "nuba-tama" was quoted in the Manyoshu as a pillow word leading to "black" or "night". For example, a poem by Kakimoto no Hitomaro.
"Nuba-tama no Kurokami-yama no yama-suge ni kosame furishiki shikushiku omohoyu." (It's been raining steadily in the mountain sedge of Mt. Kurokami, and I'm getting wet, so I want to wear a sedge hat to cover my hair.)
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