The four-winged brown things hanging on trees first caught my eye. These are the fruits (or seed pods) of Halesia carolina or more commonly known as Carolina silverbell or little silverbell at the Koishikawa Botanical Garden in Tokyo.
You may be wondering why they are called "silverbell," but you should understand if you see the flowers. Carolina silverbell flowers, which bloom from April to June in Japan, are white and bell shaped, looking like silver bells!!
So, of course, I need to come to the garden again next year to see the pretty bells, but these brown fruits, which were almost dying, made me feel content in solitude.
The garden, about 40 acres in Central Tokyo, was opened by the Tokugawa shogunate in the 17th century to grow medicinal herbs. In 1877, after the Meiji Restoration, it became a part of Tokyo Imperial University and currently the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science. The admission fee is JPY500 (i.e., about USD4.5) for adults.
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| Halesia Carolina 亜米利加麻殻 |
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| Carolina silverbell アメリカアサガラ |
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小石川植物園の亜米利加麻殻（アメリカアサガラ）です。英語では「Carolina silverbell」といい、なぜ「silverbell（銀の鈴）」かなと思いググったら、何と4月から6月に咲く花が白くて銀の鈴に見えるんです。ということで来年見に来ないといけません！
銀の鈴はもちろん綺麗だと思いますが、この茶色の枯れかけた実を見ていると、なぜか一人でいながらも心が満たされ、静かな気持ちになりました。
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