Enshū Haguma

Enshū Haguma (Ainsliaea dissecta) is a perennial plant of the genus Ainsliaea in the family Asteraceae, and is endemic to Japan.
It is also known by the alternative name “Rankō Haguma.”
It grows naturally in the forests and forest edges of the mountainous regions of western Shizuoka Prefecture (Enshū), Aichi Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture on Honshu.

The plant grows to a height of 10–30 cm.
The stem does not branch.
At the tip of a petiole measuring 2.5–8.5 cm in length, bright green leaves 2.5–6.5 cm long are palmately divided into 3–5 deep lobes, with the leaf margins further divided or toothed.
The leaves are arranged in a whorl near the base of the stem.

Each flower head bears three florets, each with five deeply lobed petals, making the whole appear as a 15-petaled flower. The flower diameter is about 0.8–1.0 cm.
The corolla is white on the inside and pink on the outside, twisted in a right-handed spiral like a pinwheel.
The fruit is an achene with a pappus.

Origin of the Name
The genus name Ainsliaea is in honor of Dr. Whitelaw Ainslie.
The specific epithet dissecta means “deeply divided,” referring to the palmately divided leaves.
The Japanese name “Enshū Haguma” derives from “Enshū,” the historical name for the western part of present-day Shizuoka Prefecture, where the plant grows abundantly, and “Haguma,” which refers to the white tail hair of the yak (Bos grunniens) used in Buddhist ritual fly whisks (hossu), to which the flowers bear a resemblance.

Flower Language
None.

General Information
Common name: Enshū Haguma
Scientific name: Ainsliaea dissecta
Synonym: Rankō Haguma
Life form: Perennial
Classification: Plantae – Angiosperms – Eudicots – Asterales – Asteraceae – Ainsliaea
Distribution: Endemic to Japan; western Shizuoka (Enshū), Aichi, Mie
Habitat: Mountain forests, forest edges
Height: 10–30 cm
Stem: Unbranched
Petiole length: 2.5–8.5 cm
Leaf color: Bright green
Leaf length: 2.5–6.5 cm
Leaf shape: Palmately lobed
Leaf margin: Toothed or further divided
Leaf arrangement: Whorled at lower stem
Flowering period: September–October
Inflorescence: Spike-like head
Flower diameter: 0.8–1.0 cm
Head type: Capitulum
Number of florets per head: 3
Corolla lobes: 5 deep lobes per floret (appearing as 15 lobes in total)
Flower color: White inside, pink outside, corolla twisted clockwise like a pinwheel
Fruit type: Achene with pappus

Reference Page
Enshū Haguma (Ainsliaea dissecta)

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