Japanese name: フブキバナ（吹雪花） Scientific name:Tetradenia riparia
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub or small tree, or a perennial, 2 m tall and sometimes up to 5 m, found on riverbanks and in hills in its native range.
The whole plant has a scent likened to musk or ginger.
It branches well.
The stem is somewhat fleshy and brittle.
The leaves are simple and opposite, broadly ovate, 3.5–8 cm long, thick, covered with glandular hairs that make them slightly sticky, and the undersides are covered with whitish velvety hairs.
The leaf margins have rounded teeth.
It is dioecious.
Large panicles at the branch tips are larger in the male inflorescences.
The flowers are small and funnel-shaped, about 0.3 cm across, white to pale lilac or pale pink, with stamens projecting out of the flower.
The flowers are fragrant.
The fruit is a schizocarp.
[Uses]
In its native range it is used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It can overwinter outdoors in warm regions without frost.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil.
Take care not to overwater; for potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries from spring to autumn, and keep on the dry side in winter.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless sunny weather continues and the soil dries out.
Apply slow-release fertilizer in spring and autumn.
Scale insects can occur.
