Japan is well-known for its abundance of flowers, especially during spring. Different flowers are constantly blooming. These are the flowers I spotted in late March-early April, mostly in Yachimata; I tried to stick to wildflowers, but some of these are cultivated. There are so many flowers that each month or so has a different set, so there will definitely be more posts about Japanese flowers in the future.
While you won’t see the sakura on this post, never fear – I will be writing about sakura in a dedicated post in an upcoming week.
Camellia
There are almost two hundred species and thousands of cultivars and hybrids of camellias, known as tsubaki in Japan. The camellia is native to Japan, with the most common species being Camellia japonica. I came late in their blooming season this year, as they are a winter flower, but I still spotted many gorgeous blossoms. All of the pictures below depict camellias; these flowers have a number of different forms.
Azalea
Azaleas, like camellias, are highly prized ornamental plants with thousands of cultivars. Known as the tsutsuji in Japan, these flowers are most often seen in pink, red, and white in Japan. They are a native species.
Japanese andromeda
The Japanese andromeda, also called the asebi, is a native flower that produces bunches of pink or white bell-shaped flowers in the spring. The Japanese name roughly means “drunk horse plant” because they are poisonous: if a horse eats the leaves or flowers, it will act as if it is “drunk”. (They are also poisonous to humans, so don’t eat them!)
Field Horsetail
These aren’t flowers, but I thought to include them anyway. The field horsetail (also known as the sugina), is native to many temperate zones, including Japan. The genus this plant is from, Equisetum, is considered a living fossil genus: modern horsetails first appeared in the early Jurassic period, and they reproduce via spore rather than seeds. They are often viewed as a nuisance weed, however. In the image below, you can see many strobili (the spore-bearing structures of the horsetail). These strobili (or cones) appear in early spring, and are thought of as a sign that spring has come by the Japanese. The strobili (singular strobilus) also have a Japanese name separate from the plant as a whole: tsukushi.
Dandelions
I was surprised when I came to Japan to find familiar dandelions! I thought the many dandelions I was seeing were all invasive, but the genus is very widespread. Some species of dandelion are native to Japan, and some are non-native and invasive. I couldn’t tell you which is which, though. Dandelions are called tanpopo in Japanese.
Shepherd’s Purse
The shepherd’s purse, known as nazuna in Japan, was introduced to Japan in prehistoric times. Fun fact: this species is referred to as a protocarnivore, as it has been found that its seeds can attract and then passively kill small organisms such as roundworms, mosquito larvae, and bacteria, possibly via drowning and exhaustion with an external sticky membrane. The soil is then enriched with nutrients for the plant to use in early development and germination. (Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-28564-x)
Sowthistle
This was a difficult one to identify, and the picture unfortunately isn’t of great quality, so if I got it wrong, I would appreciate a correction. This is a sowthistle, also known as oninogeshi, and it was introduced to Japan in prehistoric times. Some species of sowthistle appear to have been imported more recently and are invasive, however.
Brassica
The mustard plant and the rapeseed plant from family Brassica are very similar. These were introduced from mainland China millennia ago. They are known as nanohana in Japanese. And… I can’t tell them apart. I would guess mustard plant over rapeseed in this photo, though.
Spring starflower
I saw these lovely little flowers very often while they were blooming. The spring starflower, or hananira, was introduced to Japan in the Meiji era and is now naturalized (native elsewhere but not impacting native species like invasive species do). It is native to Argentina.
Clover
Clovers were introduced slightly before the Meiji period from the Netherlands, one of the only two countries allowed to trade with Japan before it was opened to the world (the other was China). Depending on the color, it is called akaitsumekusa (red clover) or shirotsumekusa (white clover). It is invasive, competing with native grasses and crops.
Purple Dead Nettle/Henbit
The purple dead nettle and the henbit, known as hotokenoza, are two similar species from the genus Lamium. They are invasive species competing with native plants, and they were introduced during the Meiji period. (These plants are quite common where I’m from in Texas and are also invasive – or at least considered weeds – there.)
Commonfield Speedwell
The commonfield speedwell, also known as oinunofuguri, is also invasive to Japan. It was introduced during the Meiji period and spread by the 1910s. It is generally viewed as a weed, but I think its flowers are pretty.
Poppy
The poppy (aka keshi) is highly invasive and, although it was introduced recently in the 1960s as an ornamental flower, has already spread through the whole of Japan.
Grape Hyacinth
The grape hyacinth (aka musukari, after its genus, Muscari) was introduced very recently to Japan in the 1980s as an ornamental plant. It is native to southeastern Europe. It has started to escape the confines of gardens to become invasive.
Spring Snowflake
I spotted these along the side of a field, thinking that perhaps these flowers could be related to the Japanese andromeda due to the flower shape, but nope! This is the spring snowflake, native to central Europe and cultivated in Japan as an ornamental plant. It does not appear to have escaped the confines of gardens and cultivated areas, from what I’ve observed. It is known as both the snowflake (the English word, not translated) and omatsuyukiso in Japan.
Wild Radish Weed
This one, I only spotted in Tokyo, and I had the hardest time identifying it. It’s another member of the Brassica family, the wild radish weed (aka hamadaikon). It’s invasive to Japan. Didn’t get the best picture of it, either…
Bonus: Unidentified
Bonus 2: Pink Evening Primrose
The pink evening primrose is native to Texas and other parts of the USA (along with its cousins, the common evening primrose and the cutleaf evening primrose, but it’s definitely the pink evening primrose that I’ve seen the most). I recently learned that it (and its cousins) are invasive to Japan! It competes and hybridizes with native species. Its current range is west and central Japan, and though it has been reported in the Chiba prefecture, I haven’t seen any myself in Yachimata. Perhaps it hasn’t spread to this city yet? (Here’s an image from The Spruce in case you don’t know what they look like.)
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