Japanese name: ムカゴトラノオ Scientific name:Bistorta vivipara
[Overview]
A perennial 5–30 cm tall, found in alpine meadows and similar places.
In eastern Hokkaido it is also found in lowlands.
The rhizome is curved and unbranched.
There are basal leaves and stem leaves; the basal leaves are broadly elliptic to lanceolate, 1–12 cm long, whitish on the underside with netted veins, and have long petioles.
There are several sessile stem leaves.
A pseudoraceme 2–10 cm long at the stem tip bears bulbils in the lower part and flowers in the upper part.
The white to pale pink calyx is conspicuous and petal-like.
The fruit is an achene enclosed in the calyx, broadly elliptic with 3 ridges, but it rarely sets fruit.
