Two famous Japanese wildflowers that announce the arrival of spring

 I’d like to talk about two famous Japanese wildflowers that announce the arrival of spring. They are the plants known as "spring ephemerals."  Ephemeral means "a life of one day," "short-lived," "fleeting."

One is called Katakuri in Japanese, Kata means half and kuri means a chestnut, named after the shape of its underground bulb, but its English name is the dogtooth violet flower. It gives a very different impression from its Japanese name.

After blooming with distinctive, striking reddish-purple flowers in early spring, the above-ground parts wither and the plant goes dormant. It reproduces by seed, but it is said that it takes about 8 to 9 years from germination to flowering.

The leaf blade is soft in texture and has a dark purple pattern resembling camouflage.

The other is Setsubun-sou in Japanese, its English name is winter-aconite, and scientific name is Eranthis pinnatifida. As its name suggests, Setsubun-sou is named because it blooms around the time of Setsubun (early February), a traditional Japanese event. Setsubun-sou is a perennial plant belonging to the Ranunculaceae family and is endemic species to Japan, which blooms in early spring and is characterized by its white flowers and yellow nectaries. 

Setsubun-sou takes 4 or 5 years from seed germination to flowering. It is said this is because, in early spring, before other weeds flourish, Setsubun-sou grows up and store nutrients for only several weeks, then wither, spending the rest of the year dormant. Therefore, it takes 4 or 5 years for them to store enough nutrients to flower. The same can be said for Katakuri.