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"Kanoko-so" (Valeriana fauriei) belongs to Valerianaceae (the Valerian family). It is a perennial herb that is native to all over Japan, Sakhalin, the southern Kril Islands, the Korean Peninsula and northeastern China. The herb grows in open wettish grasslands, and it can reach 30-80 cm in height. The corymbs are borne atop of stems and bloom small, pale rose pink flowers from May to July. The Japanese name is derived from "Kanoko-shibori". "Kanoko-shibori" is one of the methods of dyeing cloth regularly patterned with spots like the back of the fawn. The roots and rhizomes are called "Kisso-kon" and used as a herbal medicine for assuagement and antispasmodic.
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