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"Jirobo-engosaku" (Corydalis decumbens) belongs to the Fumariaceae (the Fumitory family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed westward from Kanto district of Honshu to Shikoku, Kyushu, and also Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula and China. This herb grows in mountains or moors, and can reach 10-20 cm in height. The leaves are biternate to triternate compound. The tuberous root is borne below ground, and the dried one is used as a Chinese herbal medicine "Yanhusuo tuber". The magenta to lavender-blue flowers bloom from April to May. In the dialect of the Ise region in Japan, "Sumire" is called "Tarobo", and this flower is called "Jirobo".
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