Japanese name: キヌガサソウ（衣笠草） Scientific name:Kinugasa japonica var. japonica
[Overview]
A perennial 30–80 cm tall, found in the subalpine zone.
It has a thick rhizome.
The leaves are simple, borne 8–10 in a whorl at the stem tip, obovate-elliptic to broadly oblanceolate, 20–30 cm long, without stalks, and hairless on both surfaces.
A single flower is borne above the leaves at the stem tip, about 6 cm across, on a flower stalk 3–8 cm long.
The flower is cream at first, then tinged with pink, and finally pale green.
There are usually 8 outer tepals (7–9), oblong to broadly lanceolate, 3–4 cm long.
The inner tepals are equal in number to the outer tepals, but are linear, about 1–1.5 cm long, white, and inconspicuous.
The stamens are about equal in number to the tepals and about as long as the inner tepals, and the anthers are about as long as the filaments.
There are 8–10 styles.
The fruit is a spherical berry that ripens dark purple.
[Notes]
The Japanese name is said to compare the appearance of the leaves to a kinugasa (a ceremonial parasol) held over a person of high rank.
