Japanese name: ナズナ（薺） Scientific name:Capsella bursa-pastoris
[Overview]
A biennial 10–50 cm tall, growing in fields, vacant lots, and by roadsides.
The root is cylindrical.
The basal leaves are oblong and deeply pinnately cut, but their shape is highly variable.
The basal leaves have stalks.
The stem leaves are alternate, lanceolate, and simple, with bases clasping the stem.
White four-petaled flowers are borne sparsely in racemes.
The petals are ovate, 1.5–3.5 mm long and 1–1.3 mm wide.
The fruit is a flat triangle 5–8 mm long with a notched tip.
The seeds are flat, broadly ovate, yellowish brown, and 1–1.25 mm long.
[History]
It is thought to be a prehistoric naturalized plant that arrived together with the introduction of wheat cultivation.
[Uses]
One of the Seven Herbs of Spring, its stems and leaves are eaten, and it is also used as a folk medicine.
Children also play with it by breaking off a stem bearing fruits and twirling it to make a sound.
