Rubia akane (akane) - Akane (English spelling)

Japanese: アカネ(茜) - アカネ（英語表記）Rubia akane

A perennial plant of the Rubiaceae family, it is widely distributed in the temperate zone of East Asia. It is a creeping plant with four triangular, heart-shaped leaves that grow in whorls at each node. Strictly speaking, one pair of these leaves are the actual leaves, and the other two are called stipules. From summer to autumn, it produces cymes in the leaf axils, with small pale yellow or white five-petal flowers. The roots are orange-yellow, and their decoction is used for dyeing, and has been famous since ancient times as the so-called madder dye. It has also been used as a herbal medicine.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

アカネ科の多年草で，東アジアの温帯に広く分布する。つる性で各節ごとに4枚の三角状心臓形の葉を輪生する。厳密にはこのうちの1対2枚が本来の葉で，あとの2枚は托葉といわれる。夏から秋にかけて，葉腋に集散花序を出し，淡黄色，白色5弁の小さな花をつける。根は橙黄色で，その煎じ汁は染色に用い，いわゆる茜染めとして古来有名である。また生薬としても利用されてきた。

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