Japanese name: ジュウニヒトエ（十二単衣） Scientific name:Ajuga nipponensis
[Overview]
A perennial that prefers somewhat dry places in hills.
The whole plant is densely covered with long white hairs, so it looks whitish green.
Several stems rise up, reaching 10–25 cm in height.
The leaves are opposite, oblong-spatulate, 3–5 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, with large wavy teeth with rounded tips on the margin.
The leaf stalks are winged.
The flowers are densely borne in racemes 4–8 cm long at the stem tips, and are pale purplish white.
The flowers are lipped, about 1 cm long, with the upper lip small and 2-lobed and the lower lip 3-lobed with a large central lobe.
[Notes]
The Japanese name comes from likening the overlapping flowers to the juni-hitoe, the twelve-layered ceremonial robe of the imperial court.
