Feijoa (Pineapple Guava) フェイジョア

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

These are flowers of Feijoa sellowiana, also known as pineapple guava. I thought at first they were flowers of a type of bottlebrush, but they have stamens with golden tips, much more gorgeous than bottlebrush flowers.

Feijoa　フェイジョア

Pineapple guava　フェイジョア

White Butterfly 白い蝶

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

I didn't imagine butterflies sleeping when I was a kid but they do. You may know it and I knew it, but now I know this from my first hand experience. This butterfly I saw this morning didn't move an inch while I was photographing it😁! I believe it's a gossamer-winged butterfly, but I'm not sure. 

Gossamer-winged butterfly　シジミチョウ

Pink Cousa Dogwood (Cornus Kousa) 紅花山法師（ベニバナヤマボウシ）

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

These are Cornus kousa or more commonly kousa dogwood flowers. I wrote about pale green and white Cornus kousa before and completely forgot about the only pink Cornus dogwood tree in my neighborhood😝! 

In Japanese, Cornus kousa was named "Evergreen Buddhist monk" after Enryakuji temple monks. If you're interested in why, read this post😊! 

Pink cousa dogwood　紅花山法師

Pink Cornus kousa　ベニバナヤマボウシ

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

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

I went to the Tokyo National Museum last week and found two types of wood sorrel there. One is white oxalis (wood sorrel) and the other is this pink sorrel. I'm now wondering how many colors oxalis has...😉

Oxalis debilis　紫酢漿草

 

Pink sorrel　ムラサキカタバミ

White Oxalis (Wood Sorrel) 白花酢漿草（シロバナカタバミ）

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

These are white wood sorrel (Oxalis) in the garden of the Kujokan tea house in the Tokyo National Museum. I've been to the museum many times, but have spent more and more time walking in the garden and photographing plants than inside the museum seeing the paintings and artifacts😆! I saw annual blue-eyed grass, too. You can enjoy not only art but also plants at the Tokyo National Museum! 

White oxalis in front of the Kujokan tea house　九条館前の白花酢漿草

White wood sorrel　シロバナカタバミ

Silene Vulgaris (Bladder Campion) 白玉草（シラタマソウ）

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

Which do you like better, the photos taken from the front or side? I like the photos from the side because they clearly show their chubbiness😆!! These are Silene vulgaris or bladder campion, one of my favorite plants!

The name is important. The bladder campion's Japanese name is "Shiratama plant." "Shiratama" are small mochi dumplings used to make traditional Japanese sweets, often served with sweet red bean paste. So, which do you think is better for such a pretty plant, "bladder" or "rice dumpling"? I definitely go for "shiratama rice dumpling"! Imagining many mochi dumplings hanging in the air makes me hungry and smile while thinking of many bladders in the air makes me shudder😱! What do you think?

Silene vulgaris　白玉草

Bladder campion　シラタマソウ

Japanese Mock Orange (Philadelphus Satsumi) 梅花空木（バイカウツギ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Japanese mock orange blossoms (Philadelphus satsumi) in the Imperial Palace East Garden. I went to the park to see the growth of nettle-leaved hydrangea and found these beautiful white flowers! The plant is called "Plum deutzia" in Japan because of the resemblance of the flower to the plum flower. 

Japanese mock orange　梅花空木

Philadelphus satsumi　バイカウツギ

Hydrangea Hirta (Nettle-Leaved Hydrangea) 小紫陽花（コアジサイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Hydrangea hirta, also known as the "nettle-leaved hydrangea," in the Imperial Palace East Garden. When visiting the park last time two weeks ago, I saw them still buds. The hydrangea is called "small hydrangea" in Japan due to its smaller flowers.

Hydrangea hirta　小紫陽花

Nettle-leaved hydrangea　コアジサイ

Passiflora Caerulea (Blue Passionflower) 時計草（トケイソウ）

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

These are Passiflora caerulea or blue passionflowers. These clock-like flowers always intrigue me⌚!

Passiflora caerulea - it's ten past ten!　時計草 - 10時10分です！

Blue passionflower　トケイソウ

Persimmon 柿（カキ）

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

Can you tell what this is? If not, take a look at the second photo of a flower and calyxes! Yes, this is a persimmon flower. Until I saw the flower yesterday I hadn't imagined the persimmon produced flowers (although I've eaten the fruit countless times)!!

I learned from the internet that the persimmon produces male, female and hermaphrodite flowers and it seems that these flowers in these photos are hermaphroditic, meaning having male and female reproductive organs within the same flower. The persimmon's world is so diverse!   

A persimmon flower　柿の花

A persimmon flower and calyxes　柿の花とへた

A Large and Old Rose Tree 大きくて古い薔薇の木

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

This is a large rose tree with many red rose blooms, but this post is not about these roses but where the tree is. The tree is in the garden of an apartment complex to be demolished soon due to the redevelopment of the area. These days, money can buy anything but not something that needs time to grow, like this rose tree as tall as a 3-story building, can't it? 

The garden is 50 years old and has firethorn (gigantic!), cherry, plum, orange, chocolate vine, and others, some of which are so large because of not only their age but the tender care devoted by the owners, who've already moved into a new complex nearby. I don't want to forget these plants, so I'm writing this post to keep records of them. 

   

About 50 years old rose tree?　推定樹齢50歳？