Amsonia elliptica

Family	Apocynaceae
Subfamily	Rauvolfioideae
Tribe	Vinceae
Scientific name	Amsonia elliptica (Thunberg ex Murray) Roemer & Schultes
Synonyms	Amsonia sinensis Tsiang & P. T. Li; Tabernaemontana elliptica Thunberg ex Murray
Common name	(Japanese common name) choji-sou (チョウジソウ, 丁字草 [meaning: T shaped flowers weed])
	(English common name) none
Distribution	(Japan) Honshu, Kyushu
	(Other nations) Korea, China
Habitat	Fields in riverside
Chromosomal number	2n=22
Description	Plants electing 40-80cm tall. Leaves 6-10cm long, 1-2cm wide, non hair. Flowers blue corollas ca. 2cm across, flowering in April to June. Fruits 3-7cm long, seeds 7-10mm long. Perennial plants.
Reference	Amsonia elliptica (Thunberg ex Murray) Roemer & Schultes
Note	Wild plants are becoming rare.
	Containing β-yohimbine
	Amsonia tabernaemontana Walter (syn. Amsonia amsonia (L.) Britton; Amsonia glaberrima Woodson; Tabernaemontana amsonia L.) and Amsonia ciliata Walter (syn. Amsonia angustifolia Michaux; Tabernaemontana angustifolia Aiton) in the Unighted States is very similar plant to Amsonia elliptica (Thunberg ex Murray) Roemer & Schultes in Japan and China.However, Amsonia tabernaemontana Walter and Amsonia ciliata Walter are not regarded as a synonym of Amsonia elliptica (Thunberg ex Murray) Roemer & Schultes.
	Sometimes Amsonia ciliata Walter was imported into Japan from some foreign countries and sold as a smae species as Amsonia elliptica (Thunberg ex Murray) Roemer & Schultes. Sometimes Amsonia ciliata Walter is really a synonym of Amsonia elliptica (Thunberg ex Murray) Roemer & Schultes then such trade is not illegal under current Japanese laws, but if it is not then such trade is illegal and punished under consumer protection law or other relating laws in each jurisdiction.

April 2007 at Ushiku Forest Park	April 2007 at Ushiku Forest Park	April 2007 at Ushiku Forest Park

April 2007 at Ushiku Forest Park	April 2007 at Ushiku Forest Park