|
The "Miyama-hoso-kougai-zekisho" (Juncus kamschatcensis) belongs to Juncaceae (the Rush family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed from central Honshu and northward in Japan, extending to the Kuril Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula. It grows in alpine wetlands, reaching a height of 10 to 30 cm. The stem leaves are flattened, cylindrical, needle-like, slender, and hard, occurring in groups of two or three. The basal stem leaves are scale-like. From July to September, it produces two or three dark brown flowers at the branch tips. The fruit is a capsule, triangular-oblong in shape and dark brown. Its Japanese name, "kougai-zekisho" (笄石菖), derives from the leaf shape resembling both the "kougai" (笄), an ancient Japanese hairpin used to secure traditional hairstyles, and the iris family plant "sekisho" (石菖).
|