Trapa jeholensi

Trapa jeholensis

Flower name
Trapa jeholensi
Scientific name
Trapa jeholensis
Alias菱, ひし, hishi
Place of originJapan, the Korean Peninsula, and mainland China
Place of floweringRiver, pond
Flowering seasonJuly, August, September, October
Language of flowersPure love

What is Trapa jeholensi

Trapa jeholensis or Hishi (scientific name: Trapa jeholensis) is an annual floating plant (aquatic plant) of the genus Trapa in the family Lythraceae, native to Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and mainland China. In Japan, it is found in lakes and marshes from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The stem extends from the bottom of the lake and branches out, spreading its diamond-shaped leaves radially on the surface of the water. The leaf margins have triangular serrations and the underside of the leaf has minute hairs. The long petioles are inflated and spongy in the middle, acting as a floating bag. From summer to fall, the leaf axils produce a single 4-petaled white one-day flower, about 1 cm in diameter. After flowering, the flower sinks to the bottom of the water and produces a hard, bat-like, triangular fruit with sharp spines on each side, each about 3 cm long. The seeds are edible and medicinal. Birds called "Hishiki-no-kui" eat the fruit of the water chestnut. The water chestnut has been around since the Man'yoshu period (10,000 years ago), and is also called "hishiki" (meaning "water chestnut" in Japanese) in the Manyoshu poetry anthology.

Common name: Trapa jeholensis, scientific name: Trapa jeholensis, also known as ryojitsu (water chestnut), aka: Hishi native to: Japan, Korean Peninsula, Mainland China, distribution: Hokkaido to Kyushu in Japan, environment: lakes and marshes, life form: annual, life style: aquatic. Petiole: 5-20 cm, Height: 5-20 cm, Stem length: up to 2 m, Leaf color: green, Leaf shape: diamond-shaped, Leaf length: 2.5-5 cm, Leaf width: 3-8 cm, Inflorescence: alternate, Leaf margin: triangular serrate, Leaf underside: slightly hairy, Inflorescence form: unifloral, Petal number: 4, Corolla shape: 4-petal, Flower: 1-day flower, Flowering season: July-October, Flower color: white, Flower Diameter: 1 cm, number of sepals: 4 → 2 on spikes, number of stamens: 4, fruit type: firm, fruit shape: bat-like inverted triangle with one sharp spike on each side, seed diameter: 3 cm, uses: waterside greenery, gardens, seeds are edible (Saga Prefecture has hishikochu) and used in folk medicine, berries are used to feed birds.