英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The Asian Jumpseed (Persicaria filiformis) is native to East, South, and Southeast Asia and can be found across Japan, producing tiny flowers from August to October. The plant has no petals instead has four sepals, of which three are red and the other is white. Its Japanese name is "mizuhiki," i.e., an ancient Japanese artform of knot-tying, most commonly used to decorate Japanese ceremonial envelopes.
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| 2026/7/5 |
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| 2026/7/9 |
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| 2026/7/5 With a marmalade hoverfly |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The ornamental oregano (Origanum 'Kent Beauty') is native to Europe, came to Japan in the late 1990s, and is now grown by many for ornamental purposes. The plant is highly sensitive to humidity, but the subshrub I found grows wild in Central Tokyo, which is humid almost throughout the year. The survivability and resilience of plants often amazes me and this oregano is one of them.
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| 2026/7/9 |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Fragrant evening-primrose (Oenothera stricta) is native to South America, was imported to Japan in the late 19th century, and can now be found across Japan. This evening-primrose resembles common evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis) very much with one easy-to-tell difference, i.e., fragrant evening primroses turn orange as they wither. The other flower in the pictures, which has turned orange, told me these were not common but fragrant evening primroses. |
| 2026/7/9 |
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| 2026/7/9 |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The goji berry (Lycium chinense) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing small pale purple flowers from summer to autumn. In Japan, the goji berry is known to be good for eye health, boost the immune system, reduce cellular inflammation, and help regulate blood sugar levels. I didn't know however (and was surprised) that such a plant can grow on the sidewalk in Central Tokyo. I'll definitely come back in autumn to photograph the berries. (I've never seen them before being dried.)
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| 2026/7/6 |
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| 2026/7/6 |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The onidokoro (Dioscorea tokoro) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing tiny (about 5mm in diameter) cream green flowers from July to August. It's in the yam family but unlike other yams, the onidokoro's thick rhizome is extremely bitter and contains toxic compounds like dioscorine, making it generally inedible.
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| 2026/7/5 |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。The common nettle (Urtica dioica) is native to Europe, temperate Asia, and western North Africa and now found worldwide but I didn't know it can grow in a sidewalk gutter like those in these photos in Central Tokyo. I have rhinitis, so I was considering buying a nettle seedling to grow it at home but not anymore!
P.S.
A few days later, I found flowers among the leaves, which made me realize they're not nettles but lantanas. Sorry for the confusion.
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| 2026/7/5 |
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| 2026/7/1 |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Johnson grass or Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Africa, parts of Western Asia, and the Middle East, came to Japan as an invasive plant in around 1945, and can now can be found across the country but Hokkaido (i.e., the northernmost part of Japan). I looked up the origin of the name, finding that the plant is named after an Alabama plantation owner, Colonel William Johnson, who introduced the plant to his farm in around 1840 as a prospective forage. Johnsongrass, however, has been found to become poisonous under stress (e.g., frost) and be toxic to livestock.
Despite such hardiness and toxicity, however, Johnsongrass produces tiny and cute flowers.
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| 2025/6/29 |
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 The Asian Jumpseed (Persicaria filiformis) is native to East, South, and Southeast Asia and can be found across Japan, produc...
