Melissa's Travel Adventures

Fuji/Wisteria (Japanese/American)

The Japanese wisteria, I recognized immediately when I saw it. The delicate draping of purple petals is really quite distinct. In Japanese culture, wisteria symbolizes good luck, love, and longevity. It has been important and prized to Japanese people since ancient times, and mentions of it have been found in literature, art, and theater.

For the American wisteria, however, I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t even know America had its own species of wisteria! It is quite distinct from Japanese wisteria, with a deeper color and the petal clusters more tightly packed to look like a bunch of grapes. I am also not sure why someone brought American wisteria to Japan when, in my opinion, the Japanese wisteria is prettier, but… who knows.

Japanese wisteria is native to Japan, while American wisteria is not. Pretty obvious.

Dokudami/Chameleon plant (native)

This little flower is native to Japan and seen as a sign that the rainy season is coming soon. It is also regarded as a weed to gardeners and very persistent in infesting gardens. It has a fishy smell when fresh, but when dried, the leaves can be used to make a bracing cup of herbal tea for detox. The taste is apparently very bitter, though I have never tried it. I would like to, though!

Hakone Utsugi/Japanese Weigela (native)

Though this plant bears the name of Hakone – a mountainous area about two hours west of Tokyo that is a very popular tourist destination for Japanese (most known for onsen) – it is found more commonly in the coastal areas of Japan than the mountainous regions. Given that Yachimata is smack dab in the middle of the Chiba prefecture, and therefore not near the coast, I imagine someone deliberately brought it to grow here.

Shaga/Fringed Iris (native)

I saw this flower blooming very commonly in late April. While beautiful, these plants are poisonous – like most irises – and can cause stomach pain and vomiting when consumed. They are much smaller and more delicate than commercial irises. They are also called the butterfly flower.

Murasa-kike-man/Purple Corydalis (native)

I spotted this flower while I was in Hakone – an adventure you will be hearing about soon enough on my blog! These flowers are poisonous and give off a foul odor when damaged. Their scientific name is Corydalis incisa.

Furo-keman/(scientific name) Corydalis pallida (native)

This is a close relative of the purple corydalis, though yellow instead of purple. I also spotted this in Hakone, in the same areas that purple corydalis was growing. Not much of a surprise.

Shiran/Chinese ground orchid (native)

I saw these just about everywhere in Yachimata. They can be used in traditional medicine to help alleviate ulcers. Most of them are purple, but they can also be white.

Kazaguruma/Clematis (native)

Clematis is actually a genus made of about 380 species, and while most of them are of Chinese or Japanese origin, some of them are native to the Americas, though they have very different shapes from the beautiful star-shaped Asian clematis species. Though they are native to Japan, I only saw them in gardens.

Jaketsu ibara/Japanese brasiletto, and lily seed pod (native)

I spotted these growing beside a footbridge spanning a river in Hakone and was unable to get a closer view thanks to a tall fence blocking my way. If you take a close look, you can see that the leaves of the jaketsu ibara look a little fern-like. It is a spiny vine that likes the sun. The seed pod, on the other hand… I was struck by how far it stuck up above the riverbank, all by itself. A Japanese colleague of mine identified it as the seed pod of some kind of lily, and was able to pull up images of it from Japanese sites, but I have been unable to find it on English sites, so regrettably, I can’t narrow it down from there.

Kakidoshi/Ground ivy (non-native)

This plant has spread all across the globe thanks to European traders. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia, and it appears to be naturalized in Japan – unlike in America, where it is often considered invasive.

Nigera/Nigella (non-native)

This striking flower originates from the Mediterranean. It can be used in flower bouquets and as ornamental plants in gardens. The name nigella actually refers to the genus of 18 species, rather than just the specific Nigella damascena in the picture. In one of the Nigella species – or perhaps many of them – the seeds can be used to ease digestive problems in traditional medicine. In addition, certain phytochemicals from genus have been shown to have benefits such as being an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, though it seems more research would be needed to make use of it in a medical setting.

Birodo-kusa-fuji/Fodder vetch (invasive)

This invasive plant comes from east Europe and west Asia. Despite the pretty appearance of its flowers, it is often used as a fodder crop to feed livestock, hence the name. This one is a little unusual in that it has grown upwards on a scaffold instead of just on the ground.

Otsurubo/Cuban lily (non-native)

Despite the name, this plant is actually native to the western Mediterranean region rather than anywhere in the Caribbean. This plant has been cultivated in gardens and does not seem to have started growing in Japan wild. It is not a very hardy plant, preferring warm and wet climates similar to its native habitat.

Kometsubu-tsumekusa/Lesser trefoil (invasive)

The lesser trefoil is like the red and white clovers from my previous post on Japanese flowers. It is invasive, hailing from Europe and southwest Asia. It is considered to be the original shamrock.

Tsuru-nichinichi-sou/Bigleaf periwinkle (non-native)

This plant is native to the western Mediterranean region. It is grown as an ornamental plant. While it is considered highly invasive in parts of the United States, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, it became naturalized in Japan when it escaped gardens.

???/Musk stork’s bill (non-native)

I’m not 100% sure this is the correct plant, but it’s my best guess. The musk stork’s bill is native to the area around the Mediterranean, north Africa, and west Asia. It has been introduced on most continents (except Antarctica, presumably).

Furenchi rabendaa/French lavender (non-native)

I spotted this French lavender in Gora Park in Hakone! This flower was introduced as an ornamental flower to Japan and does not yet appear to have escaped gardens. Its original range is in the Mediterranean and Middle East, though I’m not sure why it’s called “French” lavender if that’s the case.

Matsubagiku/Trailing ice plant (non-native)

This is a really neat plant! It’s one of the few plants that closes its flowers at night and re-opens them when the sun comes up. I caught pictures of the same plant when there were just a few flowers, and then again a few weeks later when flowers cover nearly the entire plant! It hails from South Africa and was introduced to Japan as an ornamental plant. It does not appear to have escaped gardens.

Mikkii-mousu-no-ki/Mickey Mouse plant (non-native)

The Mickey Mouse plant – so named for its shape – is native to South Africa. It was brought to Japan as an ornamental flower, but it seems it has started to escape some gardens and grow wild. Unsure if it is naturalized or invasive in Japan, though it is considered invasive in other areas like Hawaii and Australia.

Mokkobara/Lady Banks’ rose (non-native)

The Lady Banks’ rose no longer exists in the wild and is propagated in gardens through cuttings. The plant was native to China – the central and western regions – but not Japan. Given its inability to exist in the wild, it has not escaped gardens.

Rairaku murasaki/Littleleaf lilac/Syringa pubescens (non-native)

Syringa is a genus of 12 species with a native distribution all across Europe and Asia; this particular species is native to northern and northeastern China but not to Japan. It is grown as an ornamental plant and does not appear to have escaped the confines of gardens in Japan.

Amerika sumire/Comon blue violet (non-native)

This plant is native to eastern North America; it escaped gardens once it was introduced as an ornamental plant and appears to now be naturalized, though I’m not entirely sure. The flowers and leaves are edible.

Ookinkegiku/Lance-leaved tickseed (invasive)

It was brought to Japan as an ornamental plant, and now that it is growing wild, it competes with native flowers and grasses. It is native to east and central North America. There’s a large cluster growing near the location this picture was taken, but I thought the bright yellow flower growing from a crack in the pavement was quite striking.

Ou-murasaki-tsuyukusa/Virginia spiderwort (non-native)

Unsurprisingly, a plant with “Virginia” in its name is native to North America, in the central and east. This species escaped gardens in Japan and now grows wild. I am unsure if it is considered invasive or naturalized, but my guess would be the latter.

Murasaki katabami/Lilac oxalis (non-native)

The lilac oxalis – not to be confused with the lilac, which isn’t even in the same order as the lilac oxalis – was introduced to Japan in the 1860s from east/central North America. After escaping from gardens, it has become naturalized. If you look up the species and are confused by the difference in color to this image, the reason is that the sunset lighting has changed the coloring a little. The plant is edible and is considered to be medicinal by some Native Americans, like the Cherokee and Pawnee.

Kinsenka/Marigold (non-native)

The marigold, native to the Americas, is widely cultivated in Japan and even farmed (though for what purpose, I’m not sure). It does seem to appear to have escaped gardens, and I think it is naturalized, but not positive.

Odamaki/Rocky Mountain columbine (non-native)

This non-native plant, unsurprisingly from the Rocky Mountain region in North America, was introduced to Japan as an ornamental flower. I found no information on its status in Japan, but I did find seeds for purchase. This probably means that the flower is very new to Japan, or that I am looking in the wrong corners of the internet, or that I have not identified the flower correctly. The flower in the picture does not appear to have fully opened – the inner petals haven’t fully opened. If you look closely, you can also see that this picture was taken in a garden.

Erigeron/Mexican fleabane (invasive)

The Mexican fleabane, hailing from Central America, is considered to be an invasive species in Japan and competes with native grasses. It was introduced as an ornamental plant around 1950 and has not reached beyond central and west Japan – likely because northern Japan is too cold for it, considering its origin. (Either that, or it simply hasn’t had time to get up there yet…)

Sarubia/Mealy cup sage (non-native)

The mealy cup sage, native to the areas around Mexico and southwest America (mainly Texas and New Mexico), was introduced to Japan as an ornamental plant. I am unsure if it has escaped gardens or not. I am also unsure why the mealy cup sage is doing well in Yachimata, given that Yachimata is much wetter than its original habitat. But it has several cultivars, which raises the possibility that some might be able to tolerate a wider range of conditions, not to mention I spotted a freaking cactus along the road in Yachimata, so it might just be adaptable enough to survive the rainy season.

Shibazakura/kuriipingu-taimu//creeping phlox/creeping thyme (non-native)

These flowers. These freaking flowers. I would like to say they’re creeping phlox (native to the Appalachian mountains in America), because Japan is known for them, but the shape of the flower is a bit wrong. The conclusion, then, would be that these are creeping thyme (native to Europe/west Asia/north Africa), because the flowers look much more similar and creeping thyme seems more prone to forming the little clusters that you can see in the picture. But I can’t find much of a record of creeping thyme in Japan, not nearly as much as creeping phlox! Even the name is just a Japanese pronunciation of the English one! I’m leaning towards creeping thyme, but I honestly cannot tell for sure. Flower identification is really not my strong suit…