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The "Medo-hagi" (Lespedeza juncea var. subsessilis) belongs to Fabaceae (the Pea family). It is a perennial herb that is widely distributed throughout Japan, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, China, and East Asia. It grows in wastelands and fields, and is 60 to 100 cm tall. The leaves are trifoliate and alternate. Small white papillionaceous flowers bloom in the leaf axils from August to October. The flagellum has purple spots. The Japanese name is an abbreviation of "Medogi-hagi", its use as a substitute for divination sticks (zeichiku, medogi). In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "鐵掃帚", and in Chinese, "截葉鐵掃帚" (jie ye tie sao zhou).
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