Scutellaria indica var. indica ("Tatsunamiso")

Japanese name: タツナミソウ （立浪草）
Scientific name: Scutellaria indica var. indica

[Overview]
A perennial 20–40 cm tall, found at the edges of woods in hilly areas.
It has a short rhizome.
The stem is square in cross section, rises from the base, and bears coarse, spreading white hairs.
Leaves are simple and opposite, 2–3 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, cordate-ovate to triangular-ovate, with 7–10 pairs of blunt teeth on the margin.
Both surfaces of the leaves have soft hairs.
A raceme 3–8 cm long at the stem tip bears flowers turned to one side.
The corolla is purple to pale reddish purple and about 1.5–2 cm long; it is a lipped flower whose tube bends at the base and rises upward, with a hood-shaped upper lip and a 3-lobed lower lip.
The lower lip has purple spots.
The fruit is a schizocarp.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, by division, or by stem cuttings.
As long as the site is sunny, well drained and well ventilated, it is not particular about soil.
It dislikes excess moisture, so for potted plants water thoroughly after the soil has dried, and for plants in the ground rainfall is sufficient.
Too much fertilizer makes it grow too densely and spoils its form, so once base fertilizer has been applied nothing more is needed.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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