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"Shikaku-i" (Eleocharis wichurae) belongs to Cyperaceae (the Sedge family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed throughout Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China, and the Far East region of Russia. It grows in sunny, marshy areas from mountains to plains, in dense clusters, 30-50 cm tall. The thick, four-edged, somewhat conspicuous cross section of the culm produces a single spikelet at the tip of the stem from July to October. The spikelet is 1 to 2.5 cm long, oblong, with numerous scales arranged in a spiral pattern, and green to rust-colored. In Chinese, it is called "羽毛荸荠" (yu mao bi qi).
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