Giant false-starwort is a small spring wildflower of Korean and Japanese forests that holds a single white flower above a cross of four broad leaves. It isn't found in the United States.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A perennial herb about 2½–10 in (6–25 cm) tall, with several slender, spindle-shaped underground.
- Leaves
- Small spoon-shaped leaves low on the stem, and two pairs of large oval leaves bunched at the top so they look like a whorl of four.
- Flowers
- One white flower about ⅜ in (1 cm) across at the stem tip, with 5–8 petals on a hairless stalk. Tiny closed flowers that never open also form lower down.
- Flowering time
- April–May in its native range
- Fruit
- A small round capsule holding 6–15 seeds, ripening in late spring.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- deciduous forest floor
- forest edges
- Range
- Native to Korea and Japan (central and northern Honshu and Shikoku). It isn't known to grow wild or be commonly cultivated in the U.S.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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