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The Reineckea (Reineckea carnea) belongs to Liliaceae (the Lily family). It is an evergreen herb that is native westward from Kanto district of Honshu to Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan, as well as China. It is the only species in the genus. This herb grows in forests, spread by thick rhizomatous roots, and form clusters. The leaves are dark green, glabrous and arranged in fasciculate. The flowering stalks, about 10 cm long, are borne and bloom pale magenta flowers in racemes from September to December. The fruits are spherical and ripen into magenta. The Japanese name comes from the belief that good fortune will come to those who see this flower in bloom. In Chinese, it is called "吉祥草" (ji xiang cao).
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