PlantFiles: Mitsu-ba, Japanese Honeywort, Japanese Parsley
Cryptotaenia japonica

I have what I believe to be a bronze form of this (possible slight maroon tints) with flat, not crinkled leaves. I bought one plant a few years ago from a nursery in my area, Rose Hill; one of the workers there liked to try unusual herbs, and that was his pick that year. I was told it was a Japanese herb. I planted it in a whiskey barrel near a part of my garden that had become shaded out by shrubs and left it to its own devices. This spring, as I was weeding out a few wild mustard plants, I noticed that it had established itself in a small patch of about four or five plants nearby. It had somehow managed to bypass a large bleeding heart and a developing clump of Yellow Archangel, and was at least ten feet upwind of where it had origionally been planted. I was delighted to spot it; I think it is rather attractive, and if too much develops over time I will explore its culinary uses further.

Not only can it reseed itself in zone 6 in heavy clay soil, but it can tolerate medium shade and less-than-optimum conditions to do so.