Igusa (rush grass) - Igusa

Japanese: イグサ(藺草) - イグサ

Also known as I or Toshinsou. A perennial plant of the Juncaceae family, distributed throughout Japan and East Asia. It grows in wetlands in wilderness areas. The rhizome crawls underground, and many stems emerge, thin and cylindrical, 30-60 cm tall, with several scaly leaves at the base of the stem. In August and September, the flower spike appears at the top of the stem, but because the lowest bract is long, the flower spike appears to be growing halfway up the stem. The flowers are small and greenish brown. There is a large degree of variation, and as a species, it is distributed almost worldwide. The cultivar Kohige is used for tatami mats, and its stems are thin and flexible, reaching a length of about 1.5 m. It is mainly produced in Kumamoto Prefecture. There are more than 20 species in the same genus, including Hosoi, Inui, Kusai, and Kogaizekisho.
→ Related topics Fiber crops

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

イ，トウシンソウとも。イグサ科の多年草で，日本全土，東アジアに分布。原野の湿地にはえる。根茎は地中をはい，茎は多数出て，細い円柱状で高さ30〜60cm，葉は鱗片状になり茎の基部に数個つく。８〜９月，茎の頂に花穂を出すが，最下包葉が長いので，花穂が茎の途中につくように見える。花は小さく，緑褐色。変異が大きく，種としてはほぼ全世界に分布する。畳表にするものは栽培品種のコヒゲで，茎は細くしなやかで長さ約1.5mに達する。主産地は熊本県。また同属にホソイ，イヌイ，クサイ，コウガイゼキショウなど二十余種がある。
→関連項目繊維作物

出典　株式会社平凡社百科事典マイペディアについて　情報

<<: Ikusaka [village] - Ikusaka

>>: Ikukunitama Shrine