Japanese name: エゾルリソウ（蝦夷瑠璃草） Scientific name:Mertensia pterocarpa var. yezoensis
[Overview]
A perennial 20–40 cm tall, found in alpine areas.
The whole plant is tinged with bluish white.
The stem is erect.
There are basal leaves and stem leaves; the basal leaves are ovate-cordate with petioles 4–15 cm long.
The stem leaves are simple and alternate, ovate, 3–5 cm long, with 7–9 conspicuous veins and almost no petiole.
The upper leaf surface has appressed hairs.
The inflorescence is 8–15 cm long, with appressed hairs and no bracts.
The flowers are bell-shaped, bluish purple to purple, and bloom facing downward; the corolla tip is shallowly 5-lobed.
The fruit is a schizocarp (splitting into mericarps) with broad wings.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers a cool climate.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site, but in warm regions let it spend the summer in cool, airy partial shade.
For potted plants, water thoroughly in spring and autumn when the soil surface dries, and in summer keep it on the dry side to avoid stuffiness.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil, so that no fertilizer remains by summer.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
