わが国の各地をはじめ、台湾や朝鮮半島、それに中国に分布しています。日当たりのよい山地の林縁などに生え、高さは15〜20センチほどで、茎は地面を這って広がります。葉は倒被針形で互生し、茎や葉には粗毛があります。4月から5月ごろ、鮮やかな青紫色の花を咲かせます。花冠は5裂し、裂片の中肋には白い隆起があります。台湾華語では「梓木草」、中国語では「梓木草(zi mu chao)」と呼ばれます。
The "Hotaru-kazura" (Lithospermum zollingeri) belongs to Boraginaceae (the Borage family). It is a perrenial herb that is distributed all over Japan, as well as Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and China. This herb grows in sunny mountain forest edges and can reach 15-20 cm in height. The stems crawl and spread on the ground. The leaves are oblanceolate and alternate. The rough hairs bear on the stems and leaves. The bright bluish purple flowers bloom from April to May. The corolla is five partite and the white uplifts are existed on the lobe-rachises. In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "梓木草", and "梓木草" (zi mu chao) in Chinese.