Mitsuno, Suigen-no-sato
-the Village at the Source of River
Hime-zazensou
- Mitsuno's treasure buried in nature
Photo by FUKUI, Yoshio
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What is Hime-zazensou?
Hime-zazensou (Symplocarpus nipponicus) is a member of Araceae family plants. Hime and zazensou means small princess and Zen-style sitting weeds, respecvely.
This name is derived from its inflorescence shape, which looks like the Buddha statue.
Spadix is a characteristic inflorescence for Araceae plants, and it is surrounded by a purple large bract, spathe.
This is an endangered plant species in more than 10 prefectures in Japan, including Kyoto prefecture.
Mitsuno in Ayabe is one of the precious areas where we can see this endangered plant.
2. Life cycle of Hime-zazensou
In September, seeds pop out of the fruits and start germination
They overwinter after forming several leaves.
between March and May, they start developing large leaves, that can be more than 30cm. Their leaves are light green so that they stand out in the dim forest.
In June, leaves turn to yellow and start wilting, and during this stage spadix and spathe emerge at the base of leaves.
In summer, the spadix develop to a fist-size fruits. When this fruits mature seeds pop out, starting a new lifecycle.
written by TAKEDA, Seiji