|
The "Tsunogiri-so" (Hemiboea bicornuta) belongs to Gesneriaceae (the African violet family). It is a perennial herb that is found on Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island in Japan's Yaeyama Islands, as well as in Taiwan. It grows in moist forest edges and along streams, reaching a height of 30 to 100 cm. The lower part of the stem creeps along the ground before becoming erect. The leaves are oblong-oblanceolate, with wavy-serrated margins, and are arranged in opposite pairs. From October to November, it produces inflorescences from the stem tips and leaf axils, bearing 1 to 2 white flowers. The corolla is cylindrical-campanulate, hairy on the inside, and marked with red to orange vertical stripes. The fruit is a curved, cylindrical capsule. In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "角桐草".
|