Plants and Flowers in Tokyo & Japanese Culture by Kei Narujima　東京の草花＆つぶやき

Somei Yoshino Cherry Blossoms (Prunus x Yedoensis)　染井吉野（ソメイヨシノ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Somei Yoshino cherry trees (Prunus x yedoensis or Cerasus x yedoensis) have started to bloom. There are a variety of cherry trees but Somei Yoshino is so special in Japan that the term "cherry blossoms" often means Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are all gorgeous but differently from other flowers, i.e., always associated with death or ephemerality because of their short life span of one to two weeks.

The beauty reminds me of "The Makioka Sisters" by Junichiro Tanizaki, which ends with cherry blossoms viewing in Kyoto. The novel has no plot but is so intriguingly beautiful, based on the real life of the sisters of Tanizaki's wife, with a writing style which currently may not be necessarily popular due to long sentences. Its original title "sasame yuki" translates to "light snow," a metaphor of the Makioka family, which is declining and therefore showing the ephemeral beauty as cherry blossoms. The novel was translated into English by Edward G. Seidensticker. It's pretty long but worthwhile reading if you're interested in Japanese culture.

Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms are pinkish white as opposed to Oshima cherry blossoms, which at first are whitish pink, then turn to baby pink. If you're interested in other types of cherry blossoms, read the posts below!!

2025/3/29

2025/3/27

2025/3/29

2025/3/27

Flowering Peach (Prunus Persica Hanamomo)　ハナモモ（花桃）

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I bumped into these trees on my way to see cherry blossoms. They're flowering peach (Prunus persica Hanamomo). Finding the pinkish red (1st photo) and baby pink (2nd photo) blooms, which are larger than cherry blossoms, were a pleasant surprise to me, who hadn't taken an early morning walk for the last two days because of Asian dust covering Japan.

The Hanamomo flowering peach is native to China but has been improved in Japan to produce more flowers since the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The term "hanamomo" translates to "flower peach" in English. Unusually, the English and Japanese names coincide.

2025/3/27

Persian Speedwell (Veronica Persica)　オオイヌノフグリ（大犬の陰嚢）

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I've finally found Persian speedwells (Veronica persica) where I walk through every day! When I found them, however, they were closed (4th photo) because it was too early for them to open, so I revisited there, finding dozens of speedwells fully open under bright spring sunshine. If you don't know what the Japanese names of the speedwell family translate to in English, see below (and laugh!) and if you want to know why, read this post.

Grey field-speedwell (Veronica polita) => イヌノフグリ or "dog balls"
Persian speedwell (Veronica persica) => オオイヌノフグリ or "large dog balls"
Corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis) => タチイヌノフグリ or "standing dog balls"

By the way, baby blue eyes (or nemophilas), which are also in bloom now, resemble Persian speedwells but the perception and treatment of these two is completely different in Japan. Baby blue eyes are "planted" in parks and gardens with tags proudly showing the name "Nemophila" while Persian speedwells just "grow" here and there unattended. It's unfair for the speedwell, isn't it?

2025/3/26

2025/3/24

2025/3/26

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

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I look down while walking these days to find spring flowering plants and this is one of them, buttercup witch hazel or winter hazel (Corylopsis pauciflora). The witch hazel tree is 20 - 30 cm tall, much smaller than the spike winter hazel tree I saw early this month.

Buttercup witch hazel resembles spike winter hazel, but the former produces a cluster of 1 to 3 flowers while the latter's cluster consists of 5 to 10 flowers.

2025/3/20

Carolina Cranesbill (Geranium Carolinianum)　アメリカフウロ（亜米利加風露）

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It was very warm last weekend, which has accelerated the blooming of small plants like this one, i.e., Carolina cranesbill (Geranium carolinianum). Carolina cranesbill flowers are so tiny (1 cm in diameter) and lovely that no one can expect it to produce such funnily devil shaped fruits (2nd and last photos), don't you think?

2025/3/24

Japanese vs. European Dandelions　日本タンポポと西洋タンポポ

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Since I learned Japanese and European dandelions (Taraxacum) and their cross-breeds co-exist in Japan a week ago, I've been looking for the Japanese ones and found them just this morning. The 1st photo is Japanese and the 2nd photo European. They look almost the same but one thing. The Japanese one's bracts are closed while the European one's are open.

I wanted to find Japanese dandelions because I saw none a week ago. They're a minority, which I believe is true. The ratio between Japanese and European dandelions where those in these photos grow is nearly 1:100.

Japanese dandelion's bracts are closed　日本タンポポの総苞片は閉じている

Western dandelion's bracts are open　西洋タンポポの総苞片は開いている

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

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The Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis) trees I've been observing since January are now in full bloom! You can't tell "full bloom (1st photo)" from "almost full bloom two weeks ago (2nd photo)" from a distance but you can when looking closely at the umbels.

Bright yellow like Japanese cornel flowers is called a "vitamin color" in Japan because it energizes people, which I believe is true. Many stopped to look at the pretty flowers talking about the joy of spring but surprisingly and sadly most I talked with said they'd never heard of the tree. Japanese cornel is one of the most underestimated trees because of their blossoming at almost the same time as cherry (and Japanese apricot) blossoms.

2025/3/20

2025/3/9

2025/3/20

Flatweed / False Dandelion (Hypochaeris Radicata)　ブタナ（豚菜）

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It looks like a dandelion but it's not. This is a flatweed or false dandelion (Hypochaeris radicata). While identifying the plant, I learned that flatweeds are (surprisingly) edible, which made me want to try them. As far as I know, however, no grocery stores sell them in Japan. (It's like shaggy soldiers.) You may think now I can just pick some and have a bite but I don't want to because they grow on roadsides, which means dogs drop by there to pee and/or poo. I cannot find where I can get HYGIENICALLY safe flatweeds.

2025/3/21

Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles Speciosa)　ボケ（木瓜）

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Deep bright red flowers surrounded by green leaves caught my eye. They're flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa). Their cup shaped (or chubby!) flowers are so adorable. When open, however, they'll turn out different, changing their perception to gorgeous like those in the 3th and 4th photos (taken last year).

Flowering quince produces not only red but also pink, orange and white flowers.

2025/3/20

2024/3/22

Springstar (Ipheion Uniflorum)　ハナニラ（花韮）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are springstars or spring startflowers (Ipheion uniflorum). It had rained the previous day, so most of them looked unhappy (i.e., drooping; 2nd photo). I often mistook star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) for springstars and vice versa but not anymore!

If I had to rate flowers, I would do so based on three criteria, i.e., color, shape and smell, and based on the criteria, I would give springstar a star each for color and shape but not for smell because it smells like Chinese chives, as its Japanese name "Flower Chinese chive" suggests. But don't worry. It doesn't smell unless the leaves are ripped or torn.

2025/3/19

Dandelion (Taraxacum) - A Symbol of Diversity?　タンポポ - 多様性の象徴？　

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Dandelions (Taraxacum) are here and there in Central Tokyo, heralding the arrival of spring (although it's sometimes still cold).

When I was a kid, dandelions were everywhere also but they were shorter (as far as I remember), so I did some research, finding that the height of dandelions depends on timing. In early spring, they grow low, like covering the ground, to keep warm and become taller as the temperature goes up.

Now, dandelions native to Japan, those native to Europe, and their crossbreeds co-exist. Japan is getting more diverse in terms of not only people but dandelions!

2025/3/18

2021/3/6

Lenten Rose (Helleborus Orientalis)　クリスマスローズ（寒芍薬）

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I went to see Taiwan cherry blossoms, finding these Lenten rose blossoms (Helleborus orientalis) near the tree. I tried to disregard them at first but they were so beautiful (although drooping as it had rained and been windy the previous day) that I was kind of forced to stop to photograph them.

The plant tag nearby says "クリスマスローズ (Christmas rose)" and this is half correct and half incorrect because they're not Christmas roses but Lenten roses, blooming, as the name suggests, in the Lent period. The Lent period, however, is nearly unknown in Japan, so it's understandable they're called Christmas roses in Japan. When in Rome (oops Japan), do as the Romans (Japanese) do😆!

2025/3/18

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

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These pictures are all of red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) but the 2nd and 5th ones, which are of henbit deadnettle. The two deadnettles, which resemble very much, grow in a short distance, so I compared them with focus on the flowers closely (1st and 2nd photos). As you can see, the flowers look almost the same, so the easiest way to differentiate may be their leaf color. Henbit deadnettle's leaves are green while red deadnettle's are, as the name suggests, reddish. Because of such resemblance, I often mistook red deadnettle for henbit.

The 6th and 7th photos are of red deadnettle with an ant, which I took a year ago.