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"Naniwa-zu" (Daphne pseudo-mezereum ssp. jezoensis) belongs to Thymelaeaceae (the Akia family). It is a deciduous shrub that is distributed from Fukui prefecture of Honshu north to Hokkaido in Japan, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and the Kamchatka Peninsula. This shrub rarely grows in deciduous forests in the mountains and is about 50 to 100 cm high. The leaves are obovate, alternate at the tips of the branches, and fall off in summer. The fragrant yellow flowers come in April to May. The fruits ripen bright red from August to September but are toxic. The Japanese name is said to have come from the dialect of Nagano prefecture, but it is unknown.
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