Two-Toned Mophead Hydrangeas 縁取りの紫陽花と上野(谷中)天王寺

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In Japan, June is the month of rain and hydrangeas, and people across the nation enjoy their various types. Those in this post are one of them, two-toned mophead hydrangeas.

I saw some of such blooms at Tennoji temple in Ueno Tokyo, which has an interesting history. The temple originally belonged to the Nichiren school of Buddhism but was persecuted by the Edo government and at the end of the 17th century forcefully converted to the Tendai school with two monks at the temple being sent away to a distant island. This occurred because the Nichiren school refuted other Buddhist schools, provoking the anger of not only the priests but also the country's rulers, resulting in the persecution of the Nichiren sect and temples of that sect. 

But now, nothing at the temple reminds visitors of such a history. The old temple just sits there with beautiful hydrangeas.

2021/6/9 at Tennoji temple

2026/5/29

Viburnum Odoratissimum (Sweet Viburnum) 珊瑚樹(サンゴジュ)

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Sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) is native to Asia and can be found across Japan. The tree produces clusters of white flowers from June to July and red berries from July to October in Japan and because of the color of the berries, the tree's Japanese name is "sango ju," which translates into "coral tree." The berries are beautiful but toxic. 

2026/5/28

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia) カシワバアジサイ(柏葉紫陽花)

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These are oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia). As suggested by the name, they have oak leaf shaped leaves. The flowers are greenish white at first but turn white and then red. The leaves also turn red in autumn. Like other hydrangeas, what look like petals are not petals but are sepals. Some blooms below (scroll down) are called "harmony" oakleaf hydrangeas. If you like hydrangeas, read the following posts!


2026/5/29

Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina Communis) 露草(ツユクサ)

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The Asiatic dayflower (Commelina Communis) is native to eastern Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces blue flowers from June to September in Japan, which look to me like a mantis head. The flower has been appreciated in Japan, mentioned in the Man'yōshū (i.e., the oldest extant collection of Japanese poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after 759 during the Nara period. 

The plant's Japanese name is "tsuyukusa," which translates into "dew plant," because of its brief lifespan, like morning dew.

2026/5/29

Canary Grass (Phalaris Canariensis) カナリークサヨシ(加那利草葦)

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The Canary grass (Phalaris canariensis) is native to southern Europe and the Canary Islands. It was introduced to Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) as food for canaries but can now be found across the country. It produces oval-to-cylindrical flower spikes (panicles) from May to August in Japan.  

It was my first time to see the grass and I looked forward to observing the plant, so it was so sad to find everything in the area where the grass was growing entirely removed on the following day.

2026/5/27

Lesser Trefoil (Trifolium Dubium) コメツブツメクサ(米粒詰草)

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The lesser trefoil (Trifolium dubium) is native to Europe and western Asia. The plant was discovered in Japan in the 1930s. The plant produces spherical clusters (less than 1 cm in diameter) of yellow flowers, which are as small as rice grains, from April to July in Japan, and that's why it's called in Japanese "kometsubu tsumekusa," which translates into "rice grain clover." 

The plant means "Let's eat rice" and "little love flower" in Japanese floriography. Let's eat rice... Can it be a flower meaning?  

2026/5/27

A Crane Fly on Bushkiller ヤブガラシ(薮枯)の上のガガンボ?

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Bushkiller (Causonis japonica) is native to Japan and can be found across the country. The plant produces flowers from June to August in Japan, which are pale green at first, turning orange and then pink. (Scroll down to see such various colors of the flowers!) Bushkiller's Japanese name is "yabu garashi," which translates into "bush covering and killing other plants" due to its invasiveness.   

2026/5/27

A crane fly on bushkiller ヤブガラシの上のガガンボ

White Colicroot (Aletris Spicata) ソクシンラン(束心蘭)

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The white colicroot (Aletris spicata) is native to Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces tiny white pale pink/beige flowers from April to June in Japan. When I took these photos, they were still buds, so I decided to observe their growth until they bloom, but when going there again the following day, I found everything there had been removed, which may be a preparation for summer.    

2026/5/27

Lithocarpus Edulis (Japanese Stone Oak) 馬刀葉椎(マテバシイ)

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The Japanese stone oak (Lithocarpus edulis) is native to Japan and can be found across the country. The nuts are edible, tasting like chestnuts when baked (according to a website).  

In Japan, the nuts of Fagaceae trees, one of which is the Japanese stone oak, are collectively called "donguri" and there's a famous song for children about an acorn falling into a pond "Donguri korokoro (i.e., Rolling acorn)."    

The tree's Japanese name is "mateba shii," which translates into "a tree becoming a chinquapin tree soon," because people prefer(ed) chinquapin nuts to the Japanese stone oak nuts.

2026/5/28

Spotted Bellflower (Campanula Punctata) ホタルブクロ(蛍袋)

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The spotted bellflower (Campanula punctata) is native to Japan, Korea, China, and Siberia and can be found across Japan. The plant produces white and pale purple flowers from June to July. Its Japanese name is "hotaru bukuro," which translates into "firefly pouch bag," because children in Japan used to play with the flowers by putting fireflies into them. A firefly in a spotted bellflower must have been so beautiful although it must have been a horrifying experience for claustrophobic fireflies😱.   

2025/5/21

Slender Deutzia (Deutzia Gracilis) ヒメウツギ(姫空木)

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Slender deutzia (Deutzia gracilis) is native to Japan and can be found across the country. The plant produces white flowers from May to June. Deutzia's Japanese name is "utsugi," which translates to "hollow tree" because its stems are hollow. Surprisingly (to me), Deutzia is in the hydrangea family. 

2025/5/21

Dock (Rumex) ギシギシがいっぱい

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There are a variety of dock (Rumex) and those in these photos are some of them. I first tried to identify them like Japanese dock, spinach dock, common sorrel, etc., but gave up. Too many types and too subtle the differences are😂. But finding so many people discussing how to identify each dock on websites shows that the dock is loved around the world including Japan!

From a distance, the dock is just green (or sometimes red) leaves (or just weeds) but when looked closely, the plant shows tiny but beautiful cream/red perianth. The Japanese name of most types of dock contains the term "gishi gishi," which is Onomatopoeia, after the sound produced when the stems are rubbed (which I haven't tried). 

2026/5/27

Hollyhock (Alcea Rosea) 立葵(タチアオイ)

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Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are native to Turkey and East Europe but can be found across Japan. The plant produces white, pink, purple, and red flowers (single and double flowered) from June to August in Japan. Their Japanese name is "tachi aoi," which translates into "standing mallow," and mallows have a special connotation in Japan. 

"Mitsuba aoi," which translates to "three leafed mallow," is the crest of the Tokugawa clan, who ruled Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). This is known nationwide even now because of a long run "samurai" television program about Mitsukuni Tokugawa (1628-1701), one of the grandchildren of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. This period drama was aired initially from 1969 to 2011 and is still rerun now.   

In the drama, Mitsukuni travels throughout the country incognito to discover and investigate injustice and in the end defeats and punishes corrupt samurai and merchants. At the end of each episode, Mitsukuni (or more specifically, one of his two samurai retainers) brandishes an "inro" pillbox with the "three leafed mallow" crest to reveal Mitsukuni's identity, i.e., a member of the Tokugawa clan. (By the way, although Mitsukuni existed and was a relation of the shogun, the drama episodes are all fictional.)

Interestingly, however, the Tokugawa clan's crest is not "three leafed mallow" actually but Asarum caulescens Maxim., which is a very plain, two-leafed or heart shaped plant. The Tokugawa clan's crest, three-leafed mallow, is said to be modeled on this plain plant.

Then, another question comes up. Why did someone who wanted to rule the country choose such a plain plant as their crest? One website says that many samurai clans during the age of warring states (1467-1615) chose plain plants as their crests to show that they were strong and hardy enough to survive in such harsh circumstances as these plants were. 

2026/5/27

Hydrangea Serrata Var. 'Kurenai' 紅山紫陽花(クレナイヤマアジサイ)

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Kurenai hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata var. 'Kurenai') is a type of mountain hydrangeas. It starts to flower in early May and at that time its sepals (not petals!) are white and then turn red as suggested by the name kurenai, which means red. Because of such a color change, I often assume a kurenai hydrangea as a white hydrangea at first and realize it's a kurenai one after it turns red a week or two later. 

2025/5/25

My First Herbal Tea Blends 自分でハーブブレンドしてみました

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This is a herbal tea blend I made for the first time using fresh lemon balm and chocolate mint leaves, and lavender flowers (that can't be seen though). 

I've joined a local herbal group and harvest several fresh herbs once or twice a week but there was one problem. Too many fresh herbs! I'm happy with the harvest but also feel guilty because of a concern about them being rotten. So, I did research, finding a very easy solution, i.e., dry herbs in the microwave! 

Then, voila! The flavor and taste are great. Now the thing is whether I can tell group members about this cutting corners...  

2026/5/27

Showy Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa) ヒルザキツキミソウ(昼咲月見草)

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I thought that they were gigantic rosy evening-primroses (Oenothera rosea) at first and found at home they are not but showy evening primroses. This primrose is native to North America and was imported to Japan as an ornamental plant and can now be found across Japan. The primrose produces flowers from May to July in Japan, which are 4-5 cm in diameter and open during only the day. Because of that, its Japanese name is "hiruzaki tsukimisou," which translates into "primrose opening during the day." 

2026/5/26

Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia Glyptostroboides) メタセコイア

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Some plants are aesthetically pleasing throughout the year and dawn redwood trees (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) are one of them. In autumn, their leaves create a gorgeous view (scroll down) while from spring to summer, the leaves create a magnificent, fresh green view and the small deep green cones make me chuckle with their matcha chocolate like appearance. 

The dawn redwood is a living fossil species. They're tall and their leaves look like fern leaves, which explains to me why I feel like I were in the dinosaur era under the trees. If you're interested in their annual life cycle, scroll down!  

2026/4/15

2026/5/24

Goldencup St. John's wort (Hypericum Patulum) キンシバイ(金糸梅)

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Goldencup St. John's wort (Hypericum patulum) is native to China, coming to Japan in around 1760 and can now be found across the country. It produces bright yellow flowers from May to July, which resemble the flowers of Chinese St. John's wort (Hypericum monogynum) but can be easily distinguished by the length of stamens. The stamens of Hypericum patulum are much longer than those of Hypericum monogynum.

2026/5/24

East Asian Mallotus (Mallotus Japonicus) アカメガシワ(赤芽柏)

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East Asian mallotus (Mallotus japonicus) is native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. The tree is dioecious, producing male and female flowers on separate trees from June to July. The trees in this post are all female with female flowers, producing clusters of fruits and seeds (scroll down) in two months. 

2026/5/23 Female flowers

2026/5/23

Cogon Grass (Imperata Cylindrica) チガヤ(千萱)

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(I believe that) they are cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica). The grass is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Australia, Micronesia, Melanesia, and parts of Africa and can be found across Japan. It produces fluffy, white seed spikes from May to June.

Cogon grass is one of the most invasive weeds with a plain appearance but has been deeply appreciated and utilized in Japan for a long time, even mentioned in Kojiki (i.e., an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts, composed in the early 8th century) and Man'yōshū (i.e., the oldest extant collection of waka or poetry in Classical Japanese, compiled at the end of the Nara period [710-794]). The plant was also eaten in Japan after the war.

The flower means "affectionate," "guardian deity of children," and "we all want to be together" in Japanese floriography. 

2026/5/19

2026/5/19

Love-In-A-Mist (Nigella Damascena) ニゲラ(黒種草)

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Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) is native to the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Southwestern Asia. The plant produces blue, pink (scroll down), purple, white (scroll down), and yellow flowers from April to July, which are distinguished from other flowers by their many long stamens. What appear to be petals are actually sepals as in the case of hydrangeas. 

The plant is also called "devil-in-a-bush" and some may wonder why it can be "devil-in-a-bush" and "love-in-a-mist" at the same time. The Hutchinson News (the relevant article is gone) gave me an answer. "The plant, when green and flowering, is called love-in-a-mist, but when the horned seed pods dry in the autumn, it changes, like Jekyll and Hyde, to the name of devil-in-the-bush." 

This is also true of Carolina cranesbill, which also has good and evil within them. If you wanna see an angel and a devil within Carolina cranesbill or its Jekyll-to-Hyde change, read this!! 

2020/5/25

Pink/Purple Lacecap Hydrangea ピンク・紫のガクアジサイ(額紫陽花)

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Hydrangeas are pleasing with their colors and these pink and purple mountain hydrangeas in particular because the blooms have not only beautiful sepals (sterile flowers) but also pretty petals (fertile flowers). The 4th photo is a close up of the center part consisting of real (fertile) flowers, which are so tiny and so beautiful!  To see lacecap hydrangeas in other colors, read this post

2026/5/14

2026/5/14

Chinese St. John's Wort (Hypericum Monogynum) ビヨウヤナギ(未央柳)

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Chinese St. John's wort (Hypericum monogynum) is native to China, coming to Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). It produces five petalled bright yellow flowers from June to July with incredibly long (also) bright yellow stamens where bees often bathe and dance.    

2026/5/19

MINI Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) ミニザクロ(ミニ柘榴)

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The flowers are bright orange as the usual ones but are so mini as are the fruits (2nd photo)! They're MINI pomegranate (Punica granatum). 

2026/5/19

2024/8/3

Smiling Monkey Forest Tree (Magnolia Maudiae) ミヤマガンショウ(深山含笑)

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Smiling monkey forest trees (Magnolia maudiae) are native to China but can be found in some places in Tokyo (although not as often as you would find Yulan magnolias). The smiling monkey forest tree produces white flowers from February to March in Tokyo. 

I did research about why the magnolia is called "smiling monkey forest tree" but couldn't find any good origin of the name. Interestingly, its Japanese name translates into "smiling flowers in deep mountains." Maybe everyone seeing the flower is reminded of someone's or monkeys' smiling face. 

2026/2/28

2026/2/28

Pink Wood Sorrel (Oxalis Articulata) イモカタバミ(芋酢漿草、芋片喰)

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There are two types of pink wood sorrel, Oxalis articulata (those in this post) and Oxalis debilis. Both are native to South America but can now be found across Japan. 

The two are often confused but it's easy to tell which is which. Oxalis articulata is deeper pink and has a dark purple flower center and yellow anthers while Oxalis debilis is paler pink, having a pale yellowish green center and white anthers. Another big difference is in underground systems. Oxalis articulata has underground stems (i.e., rhizomes) like potatoes while Oxalis debilis grows from bulbils. This difference can be seen in Oxalis articulata's Japanese name "imo katabami," which translates into "potato wood sorrel," although poteto's underground stems are not rhizomes but tubers.

2026/5/18

Pink Wood Sorrel (Oxalis Debilis) ムラサキカタバミ(紫酢漿草)

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Pink wood sorrel (Oxalis debilis) is native to South America, introduced to Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) for aesthetic appeal. There are two types of pink wood sorrel, Oxalis debilis and Oxalis articulata. Both are pink but Oxalis debilis (those in this post) is a little bluish and paler. For a more detailed description of the differences between the two pink wood sorrel, read the post about Oxalis articulata.  

2026/5/17

St. John's Wort (Hypericum Perforatum) セイヨウオトギリソウ(西洋弟切草)

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These are St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum). The plant is native to Europe, west Asia, and northern Africa. It produces bright yellow flowers from June to August with long stamens as Chinese St. John's wort (Hypericum monogynum). They resemble each other but the flower size is different. The Chinese ones are bigger.  

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) came to Japan after the late 1940s and before that Japan had another St. John's wort (Hypericum erectum) native to Asia. Therefore, Hypericum perforatum is called "western Hypericum erectum," which translates into "western plant killing younger brother" after a Japanese legend that a man got so angry at his younger brother, who'd leaked an important secret of a medicine made from St. John's wort, that he killed the brother😱. Because of this legend, in Japan, St. John's wort means "grudge" and "superstition." As the legend suggests, in Japan, the stems and leaves of Hypericum erectum were used as folk medicine to stop bleeding and for other medical purposes.   

Someone who can't keep their mouths shut ended up being killed in not only Japan but also in Italy. In an Italian short story "Mateo Falcone," a father kills his 10-year-old son because the son can't keep his mouth shut.

2022/6/30

2022/6/30

Japanese Bay Tree (Machilus Thunbergii) タブノキ(椨の木)

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Beautiful green attracted my eye. These are fruits of the Japanese bay tree (Machilus thunbergii). The Japanese bay tree is native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. The fruits turn deep purple in summer, which, according to the internet, taste like avocado. This is understandable. The Japanese bay tree and avocado are both in the Lauraceae family. Japanese bay tree fruits are much smaller though, about 1 cm in diameter. 

2026/5/17

Kurogane Holly (Ilex Rotunda) 黒鉄黐(クロガネモチ)

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Who can imagine the tree has such pretty flowers! They're flowers of Kurogane holly trees (Ilex rotunda), which are native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. I've seen the trees several times but only their fruits, which are also beautiful, and never expected them to produce such tiny beautiful flowers. After the flower season, Kurogane holly trees produce fruits (scroll down), which are green at first, turning orange, then red beautifully in autumn.  

2026/5/17

False Strawberry (Potentilla Hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi) ヘビイチゴ(蛇苺)

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False strawberries (Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi) are native to east to south Asia and can be found across Japan. False strawberries produce yellow flowers from April to June and berries at almost the same time. The berries are edible and look delicious, but tasteless and that's why in Japan they're called "hebiichigo" as contained in its scientific name, which translates into "snake strawberries" or "strawberries for snakes." 

False strawberries (Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi) resemble another type of false strawberry (Potentilla indica) very much but there's a clear difference, i.e., the former's receptacle is white while the latter's is red and glossy. Both false strawberries produce yellow flowers from April to May in Japan (scroll down) but I was able to find them only once (2nd photo).   

2026/5/17

2026/5/14

Fish Mint (Houttuynia Cordata) ドクダミ

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Fish mint (Houttuynia cordata) is invasive and smelly but its color contrast between the green yellow spike, the white bracts surrounding it, and the deep green leaves (whose edge is red) is so beautiful and always attracts me. 

I have a good memory of fish mint. My late maternal grandma, who ran a small Japanese green tea shop after her husband (i.e., my maternal grandpa) had died, often sent fish mint tea to me, who was suffering serious acne at that time. 

Fish mint tea is known for curing acne in Japan. It didn't taste good and I didn't like it, but I was so desperate that I drank the tea as many times as possible. My acne problem hadn't been cured until a skin doctor applied special treatment, but I'm pretty sure that the fish mint tea grandma gave me improved my skin condition!

Fish mint's English and Japanese names both don't describe its prettiness or medical efficacy, but even so, when passing by the flowers, I always feel warm and encouraged by Grandma, who lost her husband in her early 30s and after that raised her four daughters by herself, and maybe because of that, who was too busy to smile. Her favorite line was, "What's inside counts most!" When seeing fish mint I always ask myself what's inside of me.

2026/5/16

2022/5/20

Longstalk Holly (Ilex Pedunculosa) ソヨゴ(戦)

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Longstalk holly (Ilex pedunculosa) is native to Asia and can be found across Japan. The tree produces tiny white flowers (about 1 cm in diameter) from May to June and red fruits from October to November.  

Longstalk holly is dioecious, which means they have male and female flowers. Scroll down to see male and female flowers!  

2022/5/27 Female flowers

2026/5/15 Male flower

Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum Carolinense) ワルナスビ(悪茄子)

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Carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) is, as you can guess from its name, native to North America but can be found across Japan. The plant produces white and pale purple flowers from June to October and fruits from July to October in Japan. 

The Carolina horsenettle's Japanese name is "waru nasubi," which translates into "rogue eggplant," and this is justifiable. The plant is poisonous in its entirety with thorns that would prick you if you try to remove it. So, although it's in the same family as the eggplant (i.e., Solanaceae), nobody would disagree the Carolina horsenettle is ROGUE as you can see in its other English names "radical weed," "apple of Sodom," and "devil's tomato." 

Despite such a bad perception, however, Carolina horsenettle flowers are beautiful and its fruits are pretty, which look like kumquats (scroll down) although again they're toxic. We shouldn't be fooled by appearances.

2025/6/20

Bottlebrush (Callistemon) ブラシノキ(金宝樹)

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Names and natures often agree and so do bottlebrush (Callistemon) trees. Bottlebrush (Callistemon) is native to Australia but can be found across Japan. Bottlebrush is known in Japan as "burashi no ki," which translates into "brush tree" (easy to understand), but also "kinpouju," which translates into "golden treasure tree," due to their anthers, which turn golden as they fill with pollen. 

I still remember when I saw them for the first time. I was so surprised that I climbed a wall surrounding the tree to take their close-up photos without realizing how dangerous it could be. So reckless, but I couldn't resist. Luckily, I wasn't hurt!

Some flowers in the post are pink, called Callistemon 'Pink Champagne.'

2026/5/14 Pink champagne 

2026/5/14

Various Lacecap Hydrangeas 額紫陽花(ガクアジサイ)いろいろ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。 It's almost impossible to classify lacecap hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis) based on color. Each one has ...