Homemade Candied Pomelo Peels パール柑のピール

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're candied pomelo peels. I made them! Covid-19 has changed my life in several ways. I've started to take a morning walk and take photos of plants I find during the walk. I've also started to cook something I didn't before because of a long time to cook, like jam or peels. 

The peels are brownish orange because I always use brown sugar to sweeten food. I also eat brown rice and brown bread much more than white ones. Some say that brown food is healthier than white food, but that's not the reason I prefer brown food. I just like them. The thing is that it's difficult to find good rye bread at a reasonable price in Japan. I love a slice of rye bread with such peels and a black coffee!   

Candied pomelo peels パール柑のピール

Oshima and Yoshino Cherry Blossoms - Which is Which? 大島桜と染井吉野の見分け方

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

People say that Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa) blossoms are white while Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) blossoms are whitish pink, but these two resemble each other very much when Oshima cherry blossoms turn whitish pink just before falling. I didn't know this last year, so I thought Oshima cherry had white and whitish pink cultivars, but I was wrong. Another difference between the two is that Oshima cherry trees start to produce fresh green leaves at the same time when starting to bloom (while Yoshino produces leaves after the blossoms fall).   

This post includes pictures of Oshima and Yoshino cherry blossoms. Can you tell which is which? 

If you want to see pure white Oshima cherry blossoms, read this post!

If you're interested in bright pink cherry blossoms, such as Yoko, Okame, Kawazu, and Taiwan cherry blossoms, click the link(s)!

Oshima cherry 大島桜

Yoshino cherry 染井吉野

Oshima cherry 大島桜

Yoshino cherry 染井吉野

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Prunus x yedoensis or Yoshino cherry blossoms. Yoshino cherry is one of the most popular cherry cultivars in Japan. I was so lucky to be able to take these close-up photos of such beautiful Yoshino cherry blossoms this season.

Most of the Yoshino cherry trees in my neighborhood are tall and have blossoms high on the trees, but on March 27 when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Tokyo this year, I found several Yoshino cherry trees, which were tall but had blossoms lower, like 2 meters from the ground.

Now I'm looking forward to seeing my another favorite cherry blossoms, i.e., Gyoiko. They're green/yellow, starting to bloom in mid to late April.    

If you're interested in other cherry blossoms, Yoko, Okame, Kawazu, and Taiwan cherry blossoms, which are all pink, and Oshima cherry blossoms, which are mostly white, click the link(s)!

Prunus x yedoensis blossoms 染井吉野

Yoshino cherry 染井吉野

The most popular cherry blossoms in Japan
桜といえばやっぱり染井吉野かな 

Prunus Speciosa (Oshima Cherry) Blossoms 大島桜（オオシマザクラ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa) blossoms. Usually, they're not pink but white or whitish pink as opposed to pink cherry blossoms, such as Yoko, Okame, Kawazu, and Taiwan cherry blossoms.

Oshima cherry blossoms are unique in another way. They bloom at the same time fresh green leaves come out.

 Oshima cherry blossoms 大島桜

 Prunus speciosa 大島桜

Oshima cherry blossoms bloom at the same time leaves come out
大島桜は花と葉が同時期

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

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're Trifolium dubium or more commonly known as lesser trefoil. As suggested by its Japanese name "rice grain clover," the plant is so tiny as a rice grain and so lovely.

Spring is the season of cherry blossoms in Japan especially from late March to early April, but don't forget that these tiny plants are also growing, not high up but on the ground. I admire cherry blossoms while relating more to these tiny plants.  

Trifolium dubium 米粒詰草

Lesser trefoil コメツブツメクサ

Cerasus ‘Yoko’ (Yoko Cherry) 陽光桜（ヨウコウザクラ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I first thought they were Kawazu cherry blossoms, but I found a tree tag saying that they were Yoko cherry. Kawazu cherry blossoms bloom a little earlier than Yoko cherry, but they resemble each other very much. 

Cherry blossoms blooming relatively earlier tend to be pink, such as Yoko, Kawazu, Okame and Taiwan cherry blossoms. I'm now looking forward to seeing more whitish pink cherry blossoms. 

Cerasus ‘Yoko’ 陽光桜

Yoko cherry ヨウコウザクラ

Vicia Sativa (Common Vetch) 烏野豌豆（カラスノエンドウ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Vicia sativa or more commonly known as common vetch. The stark contrast between the purple flowers and the deep green leaves stopped me. 

People in Japan call common vetch "crow vetch" as opposed to calling tiny vetch (i.e., Vicia hirsuta) "sparrow vetch" just because the former is larger than the latter like crows being bigger than sparrows. They also call Vicia tetrasperm, which is in size between crow and sparrow vetches, "vetch between crow and sparrow." 

Sparrow vetch produces tiny flowers later than crow vetch. I'm already looking forward to seeing them in April.   

Vicia sativa 烏野豌豆

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

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Corylopsis pauciflora or more commonly known as buttercup witch hazel. I saw spike winter hazel (Corylopsis spicata) two weeks ago. The flowers of the two types of winter hazel look like each other, but they have one clear difference. Buttercup witch hazel has yellow stamens and pistils while spike winter hazel has red ones.

 

Corylopsis pauciflora 日向水木

Buttercup witch hazel ヒュウガミズキ

Edgeworthia Chrysantha (Oriental Paperbush) 三椏（ミツマタ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Edgeworthia chrysantha or more commonly known as Oriental paperbush. I've seen the flower buds several times but such open flowers for the first time.  

The flowers are yellow, but they have no petals. What look like the yellow petals are actually the inside of the calyx tubes. 

Edgeworthia chrysantha 三椏

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

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Cornus officinalis or more commonly Japanese cornel. I wanted to see Japanese cornel flowers in person for more than a year, so I was glad to have finally been able to see them. Umbels of very tiny bright yellow flowers are 2 to 3 cm in diameter, looking like sparklers to me. 

Cornus officinalis 山茱萸

Look like sparklers 線香花火みたい

Prunus Cerasifera Var. Atropurpurea (Purple Leaf Plum) 紅葉李（ベニバスモモ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the blossoms of Prunus cerasifera var. atropurpurea or more commonly known as purple leaf plum. Two years ago, I took them for Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms, but it's understandable. Both are in the Prunus genus. (So, many Japanese make the same mistake.) One clear difference is that purple leaf trees have purple leaves as suggested by both its English and Japanese names.   

Prunus cerasifera var. atropurpurea 紅葉李

Purple leaf plum ベニバスモモ