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"Yatsumata-oobako" (Plantago japonica f. polystachya) belongs to Plantaginaceae (the Plantain family). It is a perennial herb that is endemic to Japan, and distributed to Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. It is a form of "Tou-oobako" and a hexaploid plant. This herb grows in sunny seashore, and can reach 40-80 cm in height. The leaves are thickish, leathery, ovate and arranged all in basal rosettes. The branched flowering stalks are borne, and the numerous small flowers bloom in spikes from June to August. The fruits are pyxidiums and work off upper-half of them when mature.
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