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

Fertile Shoot of Field Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense)　ツクシ（土筆）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are fertile shoots of field horsetail (Equisetum arvense). I didn't expect them to grow in such a busy place close to a waste collection site. (You can see blue plastic bags piled up in the 1st photo.) I've seen fertile shoots of field horsetails many times but only in the field.

They also made me realize that I didn't know what they were at all, i.e., that they're shoots; that they're reproductive stems; and that they're surrounded by their green relatives, i.e., sterile shoots. Such ignorance, however, may not be necessarily all my fault. In Japan, a fertile shoot of field horsetail is called tsukushi, considered (by many) as a different plant from field horsetail, which is called sugina. There's even a children's song in Japan entitled "Whose child is a fertile shoot? It's field horsetail's."

2025/4/9

Incised Fumewort (Corydalis Incisa)　ムラサキケマン（紫華鬘）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Spring brings unexpected surprises, such as these incised fumeworts (Corydalis incisa). A week ago, there was nothing there and today I found them like popping up from nowhere. Its Japanese name is murasaki keman, meaning "purple keman." The thing is the term "keman" is Japanese, but I (and maybe many Japanese should) have no idea of what it is. A keman is a Buddhist ritual decoration and the plant was named as such after the shape, which is said to resemble that of a keman. I hope you will find some resemblance between the flower shape and that of a keman. I couldn't.

2025/4/8

2025/4/6

Rose-Gold Pussy Willow (Salix Gracilistyla)　ネコヤナギ（猫柳）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They were fluffy buds in mid-February (6th photo) and today they're fully open, partly frozen in an unexpectedly cold weather (3rd photo). They're rose-gold pussy willow flowers (Salix gracilistyla). The rose-gold pussy willow is dioecious, which means this willow is male or female, but it was too difficult for me to determine the sex, so I gave up.

The rose-gold pussy willow is called "neko yanagi" in Japanese, which translates to "cat🐈 willow," unusually the same meaning between English and Japanese. The willow symbolizes freedom.

2025/4/1

2025/4/2

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

There are a variety of cherry blossoms and the king of them is Somei Yoshino, but Oshima cherry blossoms (Prunus speciosa) are not bad, i.e., as beautiful as, and more gorgeous than, Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms, aren't they?

Unlike Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms, which are pinkish white, Oshima cherry blossoms are whitish pink at first, then turn to baby pink. Another difference between Oshima and Somei Yoshino is that Oshima cherry trees produce blossoms and leaves at the same time (as you can see in these photos) while Somei Yoshino produces blossoms first and then leaves after blossoms fall.

2025/3/27

2025/3/30 Oshima cherry blossoms are white at first 最初はこんな感じ

2023/3/20 They're also Oshima cherry

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

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

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

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）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

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

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

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

Pinwheel Daisy　フウウシャギク（風車菊）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Not the bright pink color but the spoon shaped petals caught my eye. This is a pinwheel daisy growing at a bus stop (2nd photo). It's called "fusha giku" in Japanese, meaning "windmill mum." I want to see it spinning like a windmill/pinwheel although it would die if it really spun😵.

2025/3/10

Okame Cherry (Prunus Incamp Cv. Okame)　オカメザクラ（お亀桜）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A flying crow always catches something and so do I. While on a walk in my neighborhood at the weekend, I found this Okame cherry tree, which was in full bloom! I thought at first it was a Kawazu cherry tree. The Kawazu and the Okame cherry trees resemble each other, i.e., blooming earlier with more pink blossoms than other cherry threes but the Okame cherry petals are a little smaller than Kawazu's.

Spring weather is unstable. It was like spring in Tokyo when I took these photos two days ago but rained and snowed yesterday. Most of these blossoms must have fallen.

The Okame cherry is created by Collingwood Ingram, a British authority on Japanese cherry trees.

2025/3/2

Oriental False Hawksbeard (Youngia Japonica)　オニタビラコ（鬼田平子）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Not flowers but fluff caught my eye. They're Oriental false hawksbeard (Youngia japonica). The Oriental false hawksbeard flowers look like dandelions and they both are in the Asteraceae family but in different genera, i.e., the former in the Youngia genus while the latter in the Taraxacum genus.

2025/3/1

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Plants and Flowers in Central Tokyo & Japanese Culture by Kei Narujima　東京の草花＆つぶやき - なるじまけい