Japanese name: ハナミョウガ（花茗荷） Scientific name:Alpinia japonica
[Overview]
An evergreen perennial 40–60 cm tall, found in mountain forests.
It has a rhizome.
Several leaves are borne in two rows, and the leaf sheaths wrap around and overlap to form a pseudostem.
The leaves are broadly lanceolate to oblong, 15–40 cm long and 5–8 cm wide, with pointed tips.
Both surfaces of the leaves have velvety hairs, especially many on the underside.
A spike 10–15 cm long emerges from the tip of the pseudostem.
In the flower, a single staminode develops into a petal-like structure and is conspicuous.
The staminode, which spreads like a lip, is white with red streaks.
The fruit is broadly oval, 1.2–1.8 cm long, ripens red from late autumn to winter, and is hairy on the surface.
The calyx remains at the tip of the fruit.
[Uses]
The seeds are called Izu-shukusha and are used medicinally.
[Notes]
The Japanese name derives from the leaves resembling those of myoga and the conspicuous flowers.
