is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus of perennial herbs in the family Berberidaceae, the only species is ''Ranzania japonica''. It is native to woodlands in the mountains of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. This genus is named in honor of

Ono Ranzan , also known as , was a Japanese botany, botanist and herbalism, herbalist, known as the "Japanese Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus". Ono's real surname was ; his adult given name was . became his art name and his Chinese style courtesy name. He was b ...

, who has been called "the Japanese

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

". Fleshy stems of ''Ranzania'' form small colonies from an underground

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. Each stem bears two trifoliate

compound leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

, and between the leaves is a single or more commonly a small cluster of drooping cup-shaped mauve flowers. These develop into an upright clusters of white berries. The haploid

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

number is ''n''=7.

Uses

It is occasionally used in

shade garden Shade gardens are a type of garden planted and grown in areas with little or no direct sunlight. Shade gardens may occur naturally or by design under trees, as well as on the side of buildings or fences. This style of garden presents certain challe ...

s in the west.An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials
by Wolfram George Schmid p. 282 Timber Press

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of this plant has changed a fair amount. It was once placed in family Ranzaniaceae Takht. and also combined into genus ''

Podophyllum ''Podophyllum'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native from Afghanistan to China, and from southeast Canada to the central and eastern United States. The genus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Taxonomy Th ...

''. Ranzania japonica 2.jpg, Close-up of flowers Ranzania japonica 3.jpg, Ranzania japonica growing in a shade garden in Sweden

References

External links

* Berberidaceae {{Ranunculales-stub