Asyneuma japonicum ("Shideshajin")

Japanese name: シデシャジン （四手沙参）
Scientific name: Asyneuma japonicum

[Overview]
A perennial 30–100 cm tall, found in the mountains.
It is sparsely hairy overall.
It has a creeping rhizome.
White milky sap comes out when the stem is cut.
There are basal leaves and leaves alternate on the stem; the stem leaves are ovate to oblong, 4–10 cm long, with irregular serrations.
The leaves on the lower part of the stem have petioles, while the upper leaves are sessile.
Racemes are produced at the stem tip and in the leaf axils.
The flowers are bluish purple and distinctively shaped; the corolla is deeply 5-lobed, and the lobes are narrow and curve backward.
Five stamens and one pistil protrude.
The fruit is a flattened-globose capsule.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
Grow it in a sunny place, but in warm regions move it to airy partial shade in summer.
When planting in the ground, it is best to plant it under deciduous trees.
It prefers well-drained soil.
Take care that it does not dry out in summer, and water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
In spring, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The Japanese name compares the narrowly split corolla to shide (paper streamers) attached to shimenawa (sacred straw ropes) and tamagushi (sacred branch offerings).

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