Lythrum anceps (purple loosestrife, "Misohagi")

Japanese name: ミソハギ （禊萩）
Scientific name: Lythrum anceps

[Overview]
A perennial about 1 m tall, found in wetlands and on the banks of rice paddies.
It is hairless throughout.
The stem has 4 ridges.
The leaves are simple and cross-opposite, lanceolate, 2–6 cm long and 0.6–1.5 cm wide, and the base does not clasp the stem.
The flowers are borne in the leaf axils, reddish purple and about 1.5 cm across, usually with 6 petals.
Needle-like appendages between the calyx lobes spread outward.
The calyx tube has 12 ridges.
The fruit is a capsule.
The very similar Ezo-misohagi has short hairs throughout, the leaf bases clasp the stem, and the appendages between the calyx lobes are erect.

[Uses]
The whole plant is used medicinally.
Because it blooms around the time of the old Bon (festival of the dead), it is offered before the Buddhist altar as a Bon flower.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by cuttings, or by division.
It prefers a sunny, constantly moist site and is well suited to being planted in paddy soil.
Take care that it does not dry out; for potted plants it is best to water by standing the pot in shallow water, and for plants in the ground, water when the soil surface dries.
When planting in shallow water such as a pond, set the water depth at about 3–7 cm.
Fertilize sparingly; if base fertilizer is applied, nothing more is particularly needed, but for potted plants bury a small amount of slow-release fertilizer in the soil in spring.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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