Weeping Willow (Salix Babylonica) シダレヤナギ（枝垂柳）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Weeping willow trees are native to China, coming to Japan during the Nara period (710 to 794). The trees are known for their highly flexible, long, and pendulous twigs, under which ghosts are said to appear in Japan. The flowers, however, are unexpectedly pretty. The willows are dioecious and I think those in these pictures are male.   

2026/3/15

2026/3/15

Mottainai - Make it Work or Let it Go? もったいない？あきらめる？

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"I will marry him because it's mottainai."

Red Deadnettle (Lamium Purpureum) ヒメオドリコソウ（姫踊子草）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) is native to Europe and came to Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912) and now can be found across Japan. The plant resembles henbit deadnettle very much but their leaf colors differ. Red deadnettle's leaves are (as the name suggests) reddish while henbit deadnettle's leaves are green. I often mistook red deadnettle for henbit but not anymore. The 6th photo shows myrmecochory, i.e., the dispersal of seeds by ants.  

2026/2/23

2026/3/15

Buttercup Witch Hazel (Corylopsis Pauciflora) ヒュウガミズキ（日向水木）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The winter hazel or the buttercup witch hazel (Corylopsis pauciflora) is native to Japan and Taiwan. This winter hazel resembles another type of winter hazel, Corylopsis spicata, and because of that I couldn't tell which was which but I think I can now. The trees in these photos have a cluster of only 1 to 3 flowers, as opposed to Corylopsis spicata, which usually has a cluster of 5 to 8 flowers.

2026/3/15

2026/3/15

Pink Star Magnolia (Magnolia Stellata) ベニシデコブシ（紅四手辛夷）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) is native to Japan, producing flowers ranging from white to pink. The flowers in these photos are pink ones.

2026/3/15

2026/3/15

Star Magnolia (Magnolia Stellata) シデコブシ（四手辛夷）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) is native to Japan, flowering in early spring. The plant resembles white magnolia (Yulan magnolia), but there are several differences. Star magnolia flowers are star-shaped and a little smaller than white magnolia. The way of flowering is also different, i.e., star magnolia flowers fully open while white magnolias only half open even when in full bloom. 

On 13 September 2025, I found something interesting. A star magnolia tree had several fruits beside another tree with many buds, one of which was half open (4th photo). This is, however, not unusual (at least in Japan). Magnolias are known to flower outside the flowering season due to unusual weather or other reasons. This magnolia tree may have produced buds and flowers in September because of the extremely hot summer this year.

2026/3/15

2024/3/19

Winter Hazel (Corylopsis) ヒュウガミズキ（日向水木）、トサミズキ（土佐水木）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Winter hazel (Corylopsis) is native to eastern Asia and can be found across Japan. The plant produces a cluster of 1 to 8 yellow flowers from March to April. So pretty! 

In Japan, you would see mainly two types of Corylopsis, Corylopsis pauciflora and Corylopsis spicata, and there are several differences according to the internet. A Corylopsis pauciflora tree produces a cluster of 1 to 3 flowers with yellow anthers while a Corylopsis spicata tree is larger, producing a cluster of 7 to 8 flowers with red anthers. So, it should be easy to tell one from the other but it's not for me. The post therefore contains photos of both types. When I become able to tell which is which, I'll create a post for Corylopsis pauciflora and Corylopsis spicata each. 

2026/3/8

2026/3/8

Japanese Cornel (Cornus Officinalis) サンシュユ（山茱萸）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis) is native to China, Korea, and Japan and can be found across Japan. The tree produces umbels of bright yellow flowers from March to April and berries that get redder from October to November. 

The bright yellow of Japanese cornel flowers is called a "vitamin color" in Japan because it's said to energize people, which I believe is true. In spring, many stop in front of the trees to look at their pretty flowers talking about the joy of spring but surprisingly and sadly, most don't know the Japanese cornel. The Japanese cornel is one of the most underestimated trees because of their blossoming at almost the same time as cherry and Japanese apricot trees.    

2026/3/11

2026/3/11

White Daphne (Daphne Odora Alba) シロバナジンショウゲ（白花沈丁花）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Daphne odora Alba. Winter daphne is native to southern China, coming to Japan before the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573) and now can be found across Japan. As one of the most fragrant plants in Japan with cape jasmine and orange sweet osmanthus, winter daphne produces fragrant flowers from February to April. Winter daphne usually produces white and pink flowers, but it also produces white and "cream white" flowers.  

2026/3/8

2026/3/8

"Thousand-Flowered" Pink, Red, and White Japanese Camellias 千重咲きのピンク、赤、白の椿

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Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica) has many cultivars and this is one of them, "thousand flowered" Japanese camellias. You don't see stamens because their stamens (and pistils) have disappeared or degenerated, or changed into petals.  

The fact that these camellias have no stamens gave rise to one question for me, i.e. how a thousand flowered camellia dies. Will it fall off in its entirety like other usual Japanese camellias even though it has no stamens? The question occurred to me because the stamens of Japanese camellias (more specifically, the filament part) connect with petals, which allows their unique way of dying as opposed to sasanqua camellias, which die with petals falling off one by one without such connection. The answer is in the 7th photo. Even without stamens, a thousand flowered Japanese camellia falls off in its entirety. A Japanese camellia is a Japanese camellia whether it has stamens or not.  

2026/3/8

2026/1/17

2026/3/8

2026/3/8

Variegated Camellias 斑入り椿

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

You would find Japanese camellias here and there in Tokyo (and across Japan) but not so often when it comes to variegated blooms. 

Interestingly, some camellia trees have blooms of different colors, e.g., deep pink, pale pink, and variegated, depending on the amount of anthocyanins. The tree in the 1st and 2nd photos has only one variegated bloom while the tree in the 5th photo has both pink and variegated blooms. Nature always fascinates me!   

Japanese camellias have been appreciated since at least the 8th century in Japan and cultivated for a long time across Japan (and in other countries, too). As a result, there currently exist about 250 types of Japanese camellias worldwide.  

2026/3/6

2026/3/6