Japanese name: ムラサキニガナ（紫苦菜） Scientific name:Paraprenanthes sororia
[Overview]
A perennial 70–180 cm tall, found at the edges of forests in the mountains.
It has an underground stem and sometimes sends out runners.
The stem is hollow, erect and hairless.
The leaves are sparsely alternate and divided in a lyrate-pinnate pattern with a large terminal lobe.
The leaves on the lower part of the stem have petioles 2.5–7 cm long.
The leaves on the upper part of the stem are lanceolate and small.
The flower heads are deep reddish purple and bloom in large numbers, facing downward, in a conical inflorescence.
The involucre is narrowly cylindrical.
The fruit is an achene with a white pappus.
