Lithospermum zollingeri

Location: Akagi Nature Park
Location: Akagi Nature Park
Location: Akagi Nature Park

Flower name
Lithospermum zollingeri
Scientific name
Lithospermum zollingeri
Alias蛍葛, Lithospermum zolingeri, ルリソウ, ホタルソウ, ホタルカラクサ
Place of originJapan, Korea, Taiwan and China
Place of floweringGarden, Low mountains
Flowering seasonApril, May

What is Lithospermum zollingeri

Lithospermum zollingeri (Scientific name: Lithospermum zollingeri) is an evergreen perennial herb of the family Boraginaceae, native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. It grows wild in fields and forests in mountainous areas from Hokkaido to Kyushu and Okinawa. The stems creep along the ground. The grass is low, less than 20 cm tall. The entire grass has coarse hairs. The leaves are inverted lanceolate with bristly hairs on the surface. The flower stalks grow from thin, upright stems and produce blue-purple flowers with a white, star-shaped central ridge in spring. The flowers are funnel-shaped with a five-medium split at the tip.

Flower color change

As the flower continues to bloom, it does not fade in color, but rather continues to bloom, changing the color of the corolla without dropping the flower that has finished its role of pollination. In the case of firefly cazula, the color changes from purple to blue.

Common name: Lithospermum zollingeri, Scientific name: Lithospermum zollingeri, Place of origin: Japan, Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, China, Leaf blade: 2-6 cm, Leaf blade width: 0.6-2 cm, Inflorescence: alternate, Leaf color: green, Flower color: blue-purple, Inflorescence: alternate; leaf color: green; flower color: blue-purple; flower diameter: 1.5-1.8 cm; flowering season: April-May; stamens: 5; anthers: light yellow; fruit type: branched.