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"Chishima-hyotan-boku" (Lonicera chamissoi) belongs to Caprifoliaceae (the Honeysuckle family). It is a small deciduous tree that is native from Chubu district north to Tohoku district in Honshu, Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands and Siberia. This tree grows in grasslands and forest floors in alpine and subalpine zones, and can reach a height of 1-1.5 m. The leaves are broad-ovate to elliptic, 4-5 cm long, entire and with short petioles. The two magenta flowers bloom on the axils at the tips of the branches from June toJuly. The corolla is lip-shaped, the upper lip is split into four and stands upright, and the lower lip hangs down. The two side-by-side ovaries coalesce after flowering to form a single fruit. The oval fruits ripen red from August to September.
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