Suzumenoyari - Sparrow's spear

A perennial plant of the Juncaceae family (APG classification: Juncaceae). It is also called Shiba-imo (Japanese sedge) or Susmen-no-ie (Japanese barnyard millet), but it is confusing because Susmen-no-ie is also a member of the Poaceae family. The underground stem is a small lump. The stem grows in a clump, 10-30 cm tall. It produces many basal leaves and 1-2 stem leaves, both of which have scattered white long soft hairs on their edges and end in a small hard ball. There is a single flower head, 1-2 cm in diameter, and the florets are about 0.3 cm in diameter, with six tepals that point to the tip. There are six stamens, and the filaments are shorter than the anthers. The capsule is the same length as the tepals. It commonly grows in sunny grasslands, and is distributed throughout Japan and East Asia.

[Takemi Shimizu July 19, 2019]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イグサ科（APG分類：イグサ科）の多年草。シバイモ、スズメノヒエともいうが、イネ科にもスズメノヒエがあって紛らわしい。地下茎は小さな塊状。茎は高さ10～30センチメートル、叢生(そうせい)する。根出葉を多数出し茎葉は1～2枚、ともに縁(へり)に白色の長軟毛を散生し、先は小さな堅い球になる。頭花は1個で径1～2センチメートル、小花は径0.3センチメートルほどで、花被片(かひへん)は6枚で先がとがる。雄しべは6本、花糸は葯(やく)より短い。蒴果(さくか)は花被片と同長。日当りのよい草むらに普通に生育し、日本全土および東アジアに分布する。

［清水建美　2019年7月19日］

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