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The "Tagane-so" (Carex siderosticta) belongs to Cyperaceae (the Sedge family). It is a perennial herb that is found throughout Japan, as well as on the Korean Peninsula, in northeastern, central, and eastern China, and in the Russian Far East. This herb grows in montane arid forests or grasslands and can reach 10-40 cm in height. The rhizomes are creeping and borne sparcely the shoots. The leaves are lanceolate 1-3 cm wide, glabrous or having a few hairs. It grows up the flowering stalks and bears 4-8 ambisexual spikes from April to May. The Japanese name comes from the resemblance of the leaves to a chisel. It is called "�ェ葉薹草" (kuan ye tai cao) in Chinese.
In Korean, it's called "tyae-sa-cho" (대사초). This is a compound word consisting of "tyae" (대) + "sedge" (sa-cho: 사초). "tyae" (대) derives from words meaning "large" or "bamboo", and was named for its characteristic of having broader and larger leaves than typical sedges.
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