is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the genus '' Sasa'', in the

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

family. It is a bamboo native to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

Description

''Sasa veitchii'' is a large species of bamboo grass which may reach a height of 1-2m, with leaves about 20 cm in length and 4–5 cm in width. Young leaves are initially uniform green in color but develop light-colored edges as they mature overwinter. In its native Japan, it is found as a dense covering on some forest floors. The term ''kumazasa'' is not precise and can refer to a variety of bamboo grass species other than ''S.veitchii'', including ''S. kurilensis'', ''S. senanensis'', ''S. palmata'', and others.

Uses

This species is often planted in gardens as ornamental ground cover. The leaves can be used to make herbal tea, and are traditionally ground up and taken as a folk remedy for diabetes and hypertension, although there is no scientific consensus on its efficacy as a medicine. In Ishikawa, Nagano, and Niigata prefectures, the leaves are used as wrapping for regional varieties of

sushi is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

and rice dumplings. It also has some uses as a textile, for example in the manufacture of absorbent floor mats.

References

External links

* * Bambusoideae Flora of Japan Grasses of Asia Flora of Sakhalin Plants described in 1888 Taxa named by Élie-Abel Carrière Taxa named by Alfred Rehder {{Bamboo-stub