creeping lettuce; Ixeris stolonifera
A low-growing perennial plant in the aster family, native to East Asia. The name is a botanical term; in everyday contexts, it may be referred to simply as a type of wild lettuce.
See also: ジシバリ
Creeping lettuce is a plant with small yellow flowers found on roadsides and in grassy areas.
Usually written in katakana as a plant name; the kanji form 岩苦菜 is rare.
Kanji form is rarely used; the plant is almost always written in kana.
The name イワニガナ literally means 'rock bitter herb', from 岩 (iwa, 'rock'), 苦 (ni, 'bitter'), and 菜 (na, 'greens/herb'). The derivation is straightforward from its habitat and taste, but the exact historical coinage is uncertain.