Sasakusa (bamboo grass) - Sasakusa (English spelling) Lophatherum gracile Brongn.

Japanese: ササクサ(笹草) - ササクサ（英語表記）Lophatherum gracile Brongn.

A perennial grass of the grass family with leaves similar to those of bamboo, sometimes found in sparse mountain forests (illustration). It has a short rhizome and produces sparse clumps. Some of the roots thicken at the ends and form yellowish spindle-shaped tuberous roots. The stem is about 60 cm tall, upright and unbranched, with 5-6 leaves in two rows from the center down. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate and flat, 10-20 cm long and about 3 cm wide, pointed at the tip and rounded at the base, with a leaf sheath on a short stalk. From August to October, the stem produces sparse, large panicles about 30 cm long at the end of the stem, with straight, thin branches that grow alternately and spikelets sparsely on one side of the branches.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

笹の葉に似た葉をもつイネ科の多年草で，まばらな山林の中に時々見られる（イラスト）。短い根茎があって，まばらな株を作る。根は何本かが先のほうが肥厚し，黄色を帯びた紡錘形の塊根となっている。茎は高さ60cm内外で，直立して枝分れせず，中央以下に5～6枚の葉を2列につける。葉は長楕円状の披針形，扁平で，長さ10～20cm，幅は3cmくらいで先はとがり，基部は円く，短い柄を経て葉鞘（ようしよう）がある。8～10月ころ茎の先に長さ30cmくらいのまばらで大型の円錐花序を出し，まっすぐで細い枝を交互に出して，枝の片側に小穂をまばらにつける。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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