Japanese name: サンシチソウ（三七草） Scientific name:Gynura japonica
[Overview]
A perennial with thick roots, growing 0.6–1.2 m tall.
The whole plant is succulent and soft.
The stem is erect, hairy at first, and branches, with the branches growing upward.
There are both basal leaves and leaves arranged alternately on the stem; the basal leaves have usually withered by the flowering season.
The stem leaves are elliptic to oblong, 10–30 cm long and 8–15 cm wide, deeply pinnately divided, and the lobes have serrations.
Many flower heads, 1.5–1.8 cm across and made up only of yellow or orange tubular flowers, are borne at the stem tips.
The achenes have white pappus.
[History]
It was introduced as a medicinal plant in the early Edo period and has become wild.
[Uses]
The leaves and roots are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, moderately moist place, but strong direct sunlight in midsummer should be avoided.
If the environment suits it, it grows well even when left alone.
[Notes]
The Japanese name comes from the leaves being cut into 3–7 lobes.
