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"Torigata-hansho-zuru" (Clematis tosaensis) belongs to Ranunculaceae (the Buttercup family). It is a deciduous woody vine that is distributed from Kanto region of Honshu west to Shikoku and northern Kyushu in Japan. However, even in the southern Tohoku region, it grows wild. This vine grows on the edge of the forests in the mountains and crawls on the ground and other grass. The leaves are trifoliate with long petioles. The leaflets are ovate, and with conspicuos 3 veins. The bell-shaped, pale yellowish-white flowers come down from the axils from April to May. The corolla is 2 to 3 cm, petaloid sepals with the tips slightly curving outward. The fruits are narrow-ovate capsule with plumage styles. The Japanese name comes from being first found on Mount Torigata in Kochi Prefecture.
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