Japanese name: ウリカワ（瓜皮） Scientific name:Sagittaria pygmaea
[Overview]
An emergent or submerged perennial 10–30 cm tall, growing in shallow water in rice paddies and wetlands.
Stolons creep underground and bear tubers at their tips.
The leaves are basal, linear, 10–15 cm long and 0.5–1.2 cm wide, without petioles.
The flowers are borne in whorls of 3 at the nodes of the flower stalk, forming a raceme overall.
There are male and female flowers, both white with 3 petals; only 1–2 female flowers are borne per inflorescence.
The fruit is an achene.
[Uses]
The whole plant is used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by division of the tubers.
Use heavy soil such as Arakida soil and plant in a sunny place.
Keep the roots always submerged, with a very shallow water depth.
From spring to autumn, bury oil cake in the soil as fertilizer.
In an aquarium, a water temperature of 18–28 °C, added CO2, and normal to strong light are suitable.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
[Notes]
The Japanese name derives from the leaves resembling a melon (uri) rind peeled lengthwise.
