Metaplexis japonica

Flower name
Metaplexis japonica
Scientific name
Metaplexis japonica
Alias蘿藦
Place of originEast Asia, including Japan
Place of floweringLow mountains
Flowering seasonJune, July

What is Metaplexis japonica

Metaplexis japonica, commonly known as Climbing Dogbane or Panicled Tick-Trefoil, scientific name: Metaplexis japonica, is a perennial vine native to East Asia, including Japan. It was formerly known as Kagamigusa in ancient times. This plant is found as a weed in mountains and along roadsides throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and it grows by extending long underground rhizomes.
The vine length is 2 to 8 meters. In August and September, it produces concentrated inflorescences with 10 to 20 white to light purple flowers, about 1 cm in diameter, in clusters of 5 to 10 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide. The corolla has five deeply lobed lobes with a reddish-black central groove. The flowers are followed by a large spindle-shaped fruit 8-10 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. Inside the fruit is a white-haired seed, which is dispersed by the wind. The leaves and seeds are used in Chinese herbal medicine called “luoma” and “lumashi,” respectively, and the young shoots are used as wild vegetables. When the stems and leaves are injured, a white latex is produced. The rhizome is poisonous.

Common Name: Climbing Dogbane (Panicled Tick-Trefoil), Scientific Name: Metaplexis japonica, Old Name: Kagamigusa, English Name: Panicled Tick-Trefoil, Classification: Plantae, Angiosperms, Eudicots, Gentianales, Apocynaceae (formerly Asclepiadaceae), Metaplexis, Metaplexis japonica, Vine Length: 2-8 meters, Leaf Color: Dark green, Leaf Shape: Long-ovate to long-heart-shaped, with a heart-shaped base and pointed tip, Leaf Length: 5-10 cm, Leaf Width: 3-6 cm, Leaf Margin: Entire, Leaf Arrangement: Opposite, Blooming Period: August-September, Inflorescence Type: Cymose, Flower Color: White to light purple, Flower Diameter: About 1 cm, Number of Flowers per Inflorescence: 10-20, Corolla Shape: Deeply 5-lobed with a red-black groove in the center of each lobe, Fruit Shape: Large spindle-shaped follicle, Fruit Type: Follicle, Fruit Length: 8-10 cm, Fruit Diameter: 3 cm, Seeds: Have white hairs, wind-dispersed, Pollination: Wind-pollinated, Uses: Leaves and seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine as "Ramamo" and "Ramamo seeds," respectively. Young shoots are used as edible wild plants. When the stem or leaves are damaged, they exude a white latex. The rhizome is toxic.