Camellia Fruits (Camellia Japonica and Camellia Sasanqua) 椿と山茶花の実

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Camellia trees in my neighborhood have started fruit and one of the differences between the Camellia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua is the fruit. 

Japanese people love Camellia so much that they talk a lot about how to distinguish between "japonica" and "sasanqua." One way to tell is to look at the size and skin of their fruits. Also, a Camellia japonica fruit is bigger (i.e., about 5 cm in diameter) with a glossy skin while a Camellia sasanqua one is about 3 cm and hairy.

The seeds of both Camellia fruits can produce oil (i.e., tea seed oil), which has been used for skin and hair in Japan for a long time. How long? The Shoku Nihongi, i.e., an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text, says that Japan gave the oil to an ambassador sent from Balhae, a multi-ethnic kingdom in Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East, in 777. Wow!

Camellia japonica and sasanqua are both the prefectural/city/town flower of many prefectures and municipalities in Japan, and the Camellia japonica is surprisingly the Alabama state flower.

If you're interested in another (easy!) way to tell the Camellia japonica from the Camellia sasanqua, read THIS post, too!!  

2025/7/10 Camellia japonica

2021/8/5 Camellia JAPONICA, no hair, 5 cm in diameter
椿の実はツルツルで直径5センチ

Tall Stewartia (Stewartia Monadelpha) ヒメシャラ（姫沙羅）

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Tall stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha) is native to Japan and can be found in the Kanagawa prefecture (next to Tokyo) and the southern areas. The plant is in the Theaceae family, the same as Japanese camellia. You can see the resemblance of the flowers to camellias. Tall stewartia produces flowers from May to August and fruits generally from October to November but a tree in my neighborhood fruited in August last year and has started to fruit since July this year. And that's not the end. After turning brown, the fruits crack, which look like a crow screaming! (Scroll down! That's funny.) 

2025/5/31

2025/5/31

2025/5/31

2025/7/10

2025/7/10

Virginia Pepperweed (Lepidium Virginicum) マメグンバイナズナ（豆軍配薺）

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Virginia pepperweed or least pepperwort (Lepidium virginicum) is native to North America and its existence was first confirmed in Japan in the Meiji era (1868 - 1912). Virginia pepperweed resembles shepherd's purses (Capsella bursa-pastoris) very much, but while the fruits of shepherd's purse are triangle shaped, Virginia pepperweed's fruit shape is rounder, resembling that of small "gunbai," a type of Japanese war fan. Gunbai were once held by samurai leaders and priests but now used by (only) umpires in sumo wrestling. The gunbai shape is that of the fruits in the 1st photo. 

2025/7/9

2025/7/9

Skunkvine (Paederia Foetida) 屁糞葛（ヘクソカズラ）

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Skunkvine (Paederia foetida) is native to Asia and can be found across Japan. The perception of the plant in Japan is it's smelly (as in other countries), so its Japanese name is "hé kuso kazura," which translates to "fart shxx vine." The plant is also so hardy that it was sung in a waka poem by an Imperial Court official in the Nara period (710-794), who wished to work hardily like the plant, and the poem is included in The Manyōshū, i.e., the oldest extant collection of Japanese waka poetry compiled during that period. 

Despite such a terrible name and the smell, however, the flower's glossy red center always reminds me of jam thumbprint cookies. 

2025/7/4

2025/6/29

Blue-Tailed Forest Hawk (Orthetrum Triangulare Melania) オオシオカラトンボ（大塩辛蜻蛉）

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This is a blue-tailed forest hawk (Orthetrum triangulare melania). The dragonfly can be found across Japan from June to September. Its blue gray body is so beautiful that I wanted to photograph it from above and side, but couldn't. That's a big difference from photographing plants, which don't move unless it's windy so you can come back the following day but which also makes the moment more memorable. 

Like blue skimmers, female blue-tailed forest hawks are not blue but yellow.

2025/7/1

Robber Fly (Asilidae) ムシヒキアブ（虫引虻）

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This is a robber fly or assassin fly (Asilidae). As suggested by the name, robber flies attack and eat mainly other insects, even wasps. Some websites say the robber fly is one of the most powerful predatory insects. This robber fly, however, didn't show any sign of such aggressiveness while I was taking these photos, just resting on a leaf. 

2025/6/26

Yellow Green Lacecap Hydrangea 黄緑の額紫陽花

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The hydrangea season in Japan should be soon over because of the heat spell this week, which has started earlier than usual despite the rainy season. Then, I found this yellow green hydrangea. The bloom should turn pinkish, reddish, and/or purplish as other hydrangeas do or turn brown or die due to the high temperatures. So, I'm writing this post to keep records of these beautiful pale yellow green sepals.  

2025/6/17

2025/6/17

Ivy-Leaved Speedwell (Veronica Hederifolia) フラサバソウ/ツタバイヌノフグリ（蔦葉犬の陰嚢）

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These are ivy-leaved speedwell (Veronica hederifolia). They're native to Europe and resemble corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis), which is also native to Europe, but ivy-leaved speedwell's stems and leaves are hairy unlike corn speedwell's. Ivy-leaved speedwell's Japanese name is "tsutaba inu no fuguri," which translates to "ivy-leaved dog's balls (terrible!)." Other four speedwells also have terrible Japanese names as follows:

• Grey field-speedwell (Veronica polita) named "inu no fuguri," which translates into "dog's balls," after the resemblance of its fruit shape to dog's balls.
• Persian speedwell (Veronica persica) named "ooinu no fuguri," which translates into "large dog's balls" after its larger flowers than those of grey field-speedwell.
• Corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis) named "tachi inu no fuguri," which translates into "standing dog's balls" after its stems standing upright.
• Pale speedwell (Veronica cymbalaria) named "kogome inu no fuguri," which translates into "small rice dog's balls."　

All were named as such by Tomitaro Makino (1862 - 1957) after the fruits of grey field speedwell, whose shape resembles the balls of a dog (scroll down to see them). Tomitaro Makino is a Japanese botanist. He dropped out of elementary school after two years, but studied botany on his own and eventually received a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Tokyo.

2022/3/8

Black Bee or Longhorn Beetle (Cerambycidae) 黒いハチ？カミキリムシ？

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Many of the hydrangeas in my neighborhood have started to dry, so I was passing by them when finding something resting or hanging in on a sepal of a hydrangea. I can't tell if this is a black bee or a longhorn beetle but can tell it had a strong will not to fall off, which made me chuckle. 

2025/6/13

Water Droplet 水滴

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I used to think that you shouldn't/couldn't take a walk in the rain but when I said that to someone, he told me I could still enjoy a walk even in the rain with an umbrella. This didn't make sense to me at that time but it does now. Rain allows you to see something that can't be seen otherwise, like this. It's not a Swarovski diamond but it is as beautiful, isn't it?  

The rainy season hasn't started yet in Tokyo officially, but will soon as in most areas in Japan.   

2025/6/10

Spider-Man Leaf スパイダーマンみたいな葉

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This leaf looks like Spider-Man's face. 

A few days ago, a picture of a fruit of Lonicera gracilipes var. glabra made me burst out laughing because as suggested by @comy_0165, who posted the picture, the fruit looked like Dokurobei, one of the characters of Yatterman, i.e., a Japanese anime television series broadcast from 1977 to 1979. Dokurobei calls himself God of Thieves. He doesn't look like Hermes or Mercury at all though. 

2025/6/8