Rhynchospora colorata (starrush whitetop, "Shirasagikayatsuri")

Japanese name: シラサギカヤツリ （白鷺蚊張吊）
Scientific name: Rhynchospora colorata

[Overview]
An evergreen perennial 30–60 cm tall, found in its native habitat mainly in wetlands and along waterways.
In cold regions the aboveground parts die back.
It has a rhizome.
The stem is triangular in cross section.
The leaves are linear with pointed tips and stand upright.
It seems to flower all year round if temperatures are sufficient, but in Japan it flowers from early summer to autumn.
One head-like inflorescence is borne at the stem tip.
The inflorescence has 3–10 slender, leaf-like bracts 10–15 cm long, and the lower half of the bracts is colored white and stands out like petals.
The spikelets are ovate, about 0.5 cm long, and yellowish white.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division.
It tolerates temperatures down to about 0 degrees, so it can overwinter outdoors unless the region is cold.
It prefers a sunny place.
It grows well when kept constantly moist with heavy soil such as Arakida soil and watered by standing the pot in water or by bottom watering, but it also grows when cultivated like ordinary garden flowers using akadama soil.
When grown like ordinary garden flowers, water thoroughly when the soil surface begins to dry.
From spring to autumn, bury a small amount of slow-release fertilizer or fermented oil cake in the soil.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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