Parnassia palustris var. palustris (marsh grass of Parnassus, "Umebachiso")

Japanese name: ウメバチソウ （梅鉢草）
Scientific name: Parnassia palustris var. palustris

[Overview]
A perennial 10–50 cm tall, found in sunny wetlands in the mountains.
It has a short rhizome.
There are basal leaves and stem leaves; the basal leaves are rounded heart-shaped, 1.5–4 cm long and wide, with long petioles.
Usually only one stem leaf is borne on the flower stem; it has no petiole and its base slightly clasps the stem.
The leaf margins are entire.
A single white 5-petaled flower, 2–2.5 cm across, is borne at the tip of a flower stem 10–50 cm tall.
The petals are rounded and open flat.
The staminodes are thread-like, divided into 7–22 lobes, with a spherical gland at the tip.
The anthers are grayish white.
The fruit is a capsule 1–1.2 cm long.

[Uses]
It is used medicinally.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by division.
It prefers well-drained soil; Kiryu-zuna (Kiryu sand) or soil for mountain wildflowers works well.
From autumn to spring, place it in a sunny, airy spot; from early summer to summer, in a cool, airy place in partial shade.
Water daily from spring to autumn so that it never dries out, but take care not to make the soil too wet.
It needs little fertilizer; place slow-release fertilizer on the soil in spring and autumn.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

[Notes]
The Japanese name compares the shape of the flower to the umebachi crest (plum-bowl crest), famous as the emblem of Tenmangu shrines.

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