Erythronium japonicum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Monocots |
Order: | Liliales |
Family: | Liliaceae |
Genus: | Erythronium |
Species: | E. japonicum |
Binomial name | |
Erythronium japonicum Decne. |
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Synonyms | |
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Erythronium japonicum, known as Asian fawnlily in English and katakuri(Japanese: 片栗) in Japanese, is a pink-flowered species trout lily, belonging to the Lily family and native to Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East (Sakhalin Island, Kuril Islands) and northeastern China (Jilin and Liaoning). It is a spring ephemeral, blooming April–June in woodlands.
Erythronium japonicum has a stem up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, although as much as 30% of the stem may be underground. Bulb is elongated, up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long but rarely more than 1 cm wide (0.39 in). Leaves are broadly elliptical to lanceolate, the blade up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long and 7 cm (2.8 in) wide. Flowers are solitary, rose-colored.
Applying the generic common name trout lily may be somewhat of a misnomer, because in the Japanese species, the individual plant may or may not exhibit the flecked dark markings on the leaves, which is emblematic of that common name (see gallery below).
Reporting is mixed on whether it should be regarded as endangered in Japan. One source adds it to a list of wildflowers that should be included as endangered, but the so-called Eco kentei[] or environmental specialist certification, run by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI), has had an exam question in the past, where the correct answer to "Is katakuri an endangered " was "no". The Japanese ministry (MOE)'s version of the Red Data Book has not handed down an assessment of the whole species, even though in the Red Data Book compiled by individual prefectures, its status is evaluated at "near threatened" (jun-zetsumetsu kigu shu) in Hyogo and Mie, and rated vulnerable-endangered in Shikoku and southern Kanto.