Patrinia villosa

Flower name
Patrinia villosa
Scientific name
Patrinia villosa
Alias男郎花, チメクサ, トチナ, オトコメシ, 白花敗醬, 敗牆
Place of originJapan, China, and Taiwan
Place of floweringFields and footpaths
Flowering seasonAugust, September, October

What is Patrinia villosa

Patrinia villosa or Otokoe-shi (scientific name: Patrinia villosa) is a perennial herb native to Japan, China, and Taiwan, belonging to the family Caprifoliaceae(←Valerianaceae, changed from APG3). It commonly grows wild in forest margins and grasslands in the mountains from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The herb is 60-100 cm tall, erect, and branched at the top. From August to October, it produces a clustered inflorescence from the tip of the flower stalk, which bears many white, star-shaped joint flowers of about 0.4 cm in diameter. Unfortunately, it has a foul odor, as if miso or soy sauce has gone bad. It is similar to the Patrinia scabiosifolia (scientific name) of the same genus, but the stem leaves are thicker, larger, and more hairy, and the flowers are white and subdued.
The leaves are green, 3-15 cm long, and hairy. The upper leaves are elliptic, and the lower leaves are pinnately lobed with serrated edges. The ovoid fruit after the flowers is about 0.3 cm long, winged with well-developed small bracts, and carried by the wind.
The rhizome and whole plant are used in Chinese herbal medicine for anti-inflammatory purposes, and the root is used to make the herbal medicines "haishou-sou" and "haishou-kon".

Common name: Patrinia villosa or Otokoeshi , scientific name: Patrinia villosa, APG3 Classification: Plantae: Magnoliophyta, Dicotyledonophyta, Pinaceae, Honeysuckleae (← Ominaceae, changed from APG3), genus Patrinia villosa, species Otochoeche,
Origin: Japan, China, Taiwan, Habitat: North Sea to Kyushu, Living environment: sunny mountainous areas,
Height: 60-100 cm, Leaf color: green, Leaf texture: hairy, Leaf length: 3-15 cm, Leaf shape: elliptic, the lower leaves deeply pinnately lobed, Leaf margin: serrate; inflorescence: opposite; flowering season: August-October; inflorescence shape: clustered to paniculate; flower color: white; small flower diameter: 0.4 cm, Corolla shape: stellate, jointed, tubular flowers with 5 lobes at the tip and a conjoined base; number of stamens: 4; number of flower columns: 1; fruit shape: thin; fruit length: 0.3 cm, with wings.