Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia Sinensis) カリン（花梨）

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The Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) is native to China but now can be found across Japan. The plant is known for the fruits but enjoyable throughout the year. Its pink flowers are pretty, jam made from the fruits is yummy, and the autumn leaves are so colorfully beautiful.  

2025/4/9

2026/4/7

2025/4/9

Japanese Star Anise (Illicium Anisatum) シキミ（樒）

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Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) is native to Japan and can be found across the country. The plant produces pretty cream white flowers from March to May and fruits from September to October but it's toxic in its entirety and the toxicity of the fruits and seeds is quite high, resulting in death when eaten. The thing is the fruits resemble those of Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) very much, which are used in cooking, so the mistaking of Japanese star anise for Chinese ones could lead to fatal accidents. The tree grows in my neighborhood without any protection, so I did research, wondering if the tree might be Chinese star anise but it's not. Chinese star anise flowers are red. For their toxic nature, Japanese star anise fruits are designated as a deleterious substance under Poisonous Deleterious Substances Control Act in Japan but the growing the plant is not prohibited.

2026/3/31

Small Skullcaps (Scutellaria Indica L. Var. Parvifolia (Makino) Makino) コバノタツナミ（小葉の立浪）

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Small skullcaps (Scutellaria indica L. var. parvifolia (Makino) Makino) are native to Japan, Korea, China, and the Indochina Peninsula and can be found across Japan. Small skullcaps produce pale purple translucent flowers from May to June. 

Small skullcaps may require various conditions to grow. I've found the plant in only two places so far. Because of their unique shape, small skullcaps always remind me of Hattifatteners and I prefer their side view to the front! 

2026/4/5

2026/4/5

Takasago Cherry Blossoms タカサゴザクラ（高砂桜）

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Takasago cherry is said to be a crossbreed of Choji cherry and Sato cherry. The cherry produces beautiful pale pink double flowered blossoms. If you're interested in other types of cherry blossoms, read this post!   

2025/4

2026/4/1

2026/4/1

Baby Blue Eye (Nemophila Menziesii) ネモフィラ（瑠璃唐草）

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Baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii) are native to North America but now grown across Japan. Their Japanese name is "ruri karakusa," which translates to "lapis lazuli arabesque." 

More than a dozen gardens in Japan have grown baby blue eyes, attracting many tourists. One of them is the Hitachi Sunrise Park in Ibaraki prefecture, which has grown the plant since 2002 and its more than 5 million baby blue eyes went viral from 2015 to 2018. The park attracted 800,000 people in April and May, the baby blue eyes season, in 2025 with an admission fee of about 3 dollars per person! You can't underestimate social media's power, can you? 

The baby blue eye in the first and second photos is growing wild. Maybe some baby blue eyes are exhausted from too much attention, wanting to be alone. 

2026/3/31

2026/3/31

Malus Halliana (Hall Crabapple) 花海棠（ハナカイドウ）

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Hall crabapple (Malus halliana) is native to China and came to Japan in the 14th century, but can now be found across the country. The tree produces flowers in April and then fruits of 1 cm in diameter, which look like small apples. The fruits ripen in October. As hall crabapples flower in April, at almost the same time as cherry trees do, they're often disregarded but their color change is worthwhile observing. The buds are deeper pink like Taiwan cherry blossoms but when open become paler pink but brighter than Somei Yoshino or Oshima cherry blossoms. 

2026/4/3

2026/4/3

Chinese Violet Cress (Orychophragmus Violaceus) オオアラセイトウ（大紫羅欄花）

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Chinese violet cress (Orychophragmus violaceus), which is native to China, was imported to Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867) and has been growing in the wild across the country since then. Those in the photos taken in 2026 are wildflowers in my neighborhood. The plant flowers from March to May, showing a beautiful contrast between the purple petals and the yellow anthers.  

2026/3/31

2026/3/31

Common Blue Violet (Viola Sororia) アメリカスミレサイシン（亜米利加菫細辛）

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Common blue violet (Viola sororia) is native to eastern North America. It was imported to Japan in or after the Meiji period (1868-1912) and can now be found across the country. Despite such beauty (especially purple veins!), the violet is often treated as weeds in Japan. Those in these photos should be, too. They're just growing on sidewalks, seeming to enjoy themselves unattended.       

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

Japanese Mazus (Mazus Pumilus) トキワハゼ（常磐爆）

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So cute and so hardy! Japanese mazus (Mazus pumilus) is native to east and south east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing flowers from early spring to late autumn. Despite such cute appearance and tininess, the plant's seed pods burst🤯 open, which is why the plant is called tokiwa haze in Japanese, translating to "evergreen burst." I want to see the bursts someday.  

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

Blue Toadflax (Nuttallanthus Canadensis) 松葉雲蘭（マツバウンラン）

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Blue toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis) is native to North America but can now be found across Japan, producing flowers from April to June. The environment has a lot to do with the growth of plants. Blue toadflax growing in full sun are much taller with "chubbier" flowers than those in less sun. My perception of blue toadflax has completely changed from "fragile" to "(unexpectedly) tough" since I saw the chubby ones. 

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

2025/4/11

Edohigan Cherry (Prunus Itosakura) エドヒガン（江戸彼岸）

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Edohigan cherry (Prunus itosakura) is one of the ten or eleven wild species of cherry trees native to Japan. "Edohigan" translates into "Tokyo higan," named after having being seen in many places around Tokyo, which had been called Edo before 1868 when renamed as Tokyo, and its characteristic of starting to flower in around the spring higan period, i.e., three days before and after the spring equinox (shunbun). Despite such a name, however, the cherry can now be found across Japan. Edohigan cherry trees can live for hundreds or even a thousand years, much longer than other cherry trees, whose lifespan is usually 60 to 100 years. Edohigan is a parent of Somei Yoshino but not only that. It's a parent of weeping cherry, too. 

2026/3/29

2026/3/29