Melandryum firmum

Japanese: フシグロ(節黒) - フシグロ（英語表記）Melandryum firmum

This biennial plant of the Caryophyllaceae family is widely distributed in the temperate zone of eastern Asia. Its stems are smooth and hairless, growing to a height of 30-60 cm, and it bears opposite, oblong, nearly stalkless leaves that are 3-10 cm long. The leaves, or nodes, are purple-brown in color, hence the Japanese name. In summer, it produces branched inflorescences at the top of the stem and in the leaf axils, and produces flowers with bell-shaped calyx tubes less than 1 cm long. The calyx tube is green with about 10 prominent vertical purple-brown veins. Five petals emerge from the inside of the calyx tube, and are white but very small. Other plants in this genus include M. apetalum , an alpine plant found on Mount Kita in the Southern Alps, and it is widely distributed in the circumpolar regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

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

Japanese:

ナデシコ科の越年草で，アジア東部の温帯に広く分布する。茎は無毛平滑で高さ 30～60cmとなり，長さ3～10cmの長楕円形でほとんど柄のない葉を対生する。この葉のつく部分，つまり節が紫褐色を帯びるのでこの和名がある。夏に，枝分れする花序を茎の上部と葉腋につけ，長さ 1cm足らずの鐘形の萼筒をもった花をつける。この萼筒は緑色で縦に 10本ほどの紫褐色の脈が目立つ。花弁は萼筒の内側から5枚出て，白色であるがごく小さい。この属の植物としてはほかに南アルプスの北岳などに高山性のタカネマンテマ M. apetalumがあり，北半球の周極地方にも広く分布している。

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