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The Twin leaf (Jeffersonia dubia) belongs to Berberidaceae (the Barberry family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, northeast China, and Amur region. This herb grows on the forest floors and forest edges of the mountainous area, and up to a height of about 20 cm. The leaves are round, the tip is hollowed and basal. The brilliant blue-lavender flowers bloom from April to May. The name was derived from the warship "Tatsuta", because of this crew member brought back this plant, during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Another name is also called "Itomaki-gusa (thread winding grass)", because of some leaves are rolling without developing even when flowering. It is called "鮮黄連" (xian huang lian) in Chinese.
In Korean, it is called "kkaeng-kkaeng-i-pul" (깽깽이풀). It is said that the name comes from the fact that the way the flowers bloom sparsely in a single row resembles the appearance of someone hopping on one foot-as if dancing the "kkaeng-kkaeng" (one-legged hop)-while moving forward. The surface of these seeds is coated with "elaiosomes"-sweet, nutrient-rich fat deposits that ants find appealing-and the ants carry the seeds back to their nests. The ants eat only the elaiosomes and discard the seeds themselves near the nest or in trash piles. It is said that when these seeds germinate, flowers bloom in a single row along the path the ants traveled.
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