Ranzania japonica

Description

Ranzania (Japanese: トガクシソウ) is a monotypic genus of perennial herbs in the family Berberidaceae, the only species is Ranzania japonica. It is native to woodlands in the mountains of Honshu, Japan. This genus is named in honor of Ono Ranzan, who has been called "the Japanese Linnaeus". Fleshy stems of Ranzania form small colonies from an underground rhizome. Each stem bears two trifoliate compound leaves, and between the leaves is a single or more commonly a small cluster of drooping cup-shaped mauve flowers. These develop into an upright clusters of white berries. The haploid chromosome number is n=7.