Japanese name: イヌキクイモ（犬菊芋） Scientific name:Helianthus strumosus
[Overview]
A perennial 1–2 m tall.
It has spindle-shaped underground tubers with nodes.
The stem is almost hairless.
Leaves are simple and opposite, broadly lanceolate to oblong, tinged with grayish green, with a toothed margin.
Flower heads about 5–10 cm across are borne at the branch tips.
The flower head consists of ray florets and tubular florets; there are 8–15 ray florets around the edge, which are yellow with tips that are slightly pointed and not split.
The tubular florets are also yellow.
The fruit is an achene.
[Uses]
The roots are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division, bud cuttings or seed.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place and is easy to grow.
It also grows on poor soil.
Pests and diseases are hardly seen.
