余花【よか】 yoka （よくわ）, lingering (cherry) blossoms (early summer)
植物【しょくぶつ】 shokubutsu Plants
葉桜【はざくら】（葉櫻） hazakura leafy cherry (tree/trees) (early summer)
牡丹【ぼたん】 botan tree peony [Paeonia suffruticosa; see also 芍薬【しゃくやく】 shakuyaku, peony] (early summer)
- 牡丹【ぼうたん】 bōtan tree peony
- 白牡丹【はくぼたん】 hakubotan white tree peony
- 緋牡丹【ひぼたん】 hibotan scarlet tree peony
- 牡丹園【ぼたんえん】 botan en tree tree peony garden
The peony is a deciduous tree of modest height belonging to the buttercup family (Renunculaceae).
It was introduced from China to Japan for medicinal use beginning in ancient times, though exactly when
is unknown. The dried skin of the root, called botanbi, is a pharmeceutical effective for back
pain and headache, also used to reduce fever, to stop bleeding, and for gynecological ailments, and much
valued for these purposes in ancient China and Japan. Beginning in the Heian period the tree was cultivated
in Japan for decorative purposes, as well, and the Genroku era (1688-1704) of the Edo Period witnessed
a great boom in the popularity of peony blossoms. Gardening manuals of the time list well over 400 distinct
cultivars. In pre-modern China, the peony was praised as the "King of Flowers", but the Chinese peonies
are no match for the elegance of Japanese hybrids. The varieties of peonies popularized in recent times
in Europe and beyond almost all originated in Japan.
The tree is called a white peony, but if you look closely at its blossoms, the petals seem to be tinged
with red. That is the gist of the poem. The "middle seven" syllables mean nothing more than "however"
but the elegant tone of circumlocution by which this sense is conveyed is well suited to the character
of the flower in question.
牡丹散ってうちかさなりぬ二三片
蕪村
botan chitte uchikasanarinu nisanpen
a peony blossom falls
one on top of another
two or three petals
Buson
牡丹花の眠るが如き入日かな
上田敏
botanka no nemuru ga gotoki irihi kana
like peony blossoms
falling asleep:
the setting sun
Ueda Bin
夕牡丹しづかに靄を加へけり
水原秋櫻子
yūbotan shizuka ni moya o kuwaekeri
evening peonies
quietly joined with
the mist
Mizuhara Shūōshi
白牡丹といふといへども紅ほのか
高濱虚子
hakubotan to iu to iedomo kō honoka
they are called
white peonies though
faintly red
Takahama Kyoshi
紫陽花【あじさい】 ajisai （あぢさゐ）, hydrangea (blossoms) [Hydrangea macrophylla] (mid summer)
- 七変化【しちへんげ】 shichi henge seven goblins [figurative for hydrangea]
- 四葩【よひら】 yohira four-petal / hydrangea
- 手毬花【てまりばな】 temaribana Japanese snowball [literally "hand-ball blossom(s)"; Viburnum plicatum]
百日紅【ひゃくじっこう】 hyakujikkō crape myrtle / pride of India [also spelled "crepe myrtle"; Lagerstroemia indica] (late summer)
- 百日紅【さるすべり】 sarusuberi crape myrtle
梔子の花【くちなしのはな】 kuchinashi no hana gardenia / Cape jasmine [Gardenia jasminoides] (mid summer)
夾竹桃【きょうちくとう】 kyōchikutō （けふちくたう）, oleander / rose-bay [Nerium indicum, known for vanilla-scented flowers] (mid summer)
蜜柑の花【みかんのはな】 mikan no hana mikan blossom(s) / mandarin orange blossom(s) (early summer)
- 花蜜柑【はなみかん】 hanamikan mikan blossom(s) / flowering mikan
栗の花【くりのはな】 kuri no hana chestnut blossoms [Castanea crenata] (mid summer)
青梅【あおうめ】 aoume green plum [the fruit] (mid summer)
- 梅の実【うめのみ】 ume no mi fruit of the plum
- 実梅【みうめ】 miume plum fruit
さくらんぼ sakuranbo cherries/cherry (mid summer)
- 桜桃の実【おうとうのみ】 ōtō no mi fruit of the cherry
- 桜桃【おうとう】 ōtō cherries/cherry
ゆすらうめ yusuraume mountain cherry / Nanking cherry [the fruit of Prunus tomentosa] (mid summer)
- 英桃【ゆすらうめ】 yusuraume mountain cherry
- 山桜桃【ゆすら】 yusura mountain cherry
枇杷【びわ】 biwa （びは）, loquat [the fruit of Eriobotrya japonica] (mid summer)
若葉【わかば】 wakaba young leaves/ new leaves / fresh verdure (early summer)
- 山若葉【やまわかば】 yama wakaba young leaves in the mountains
- 里若葉【さとわかば】 sato wakaba young leaves in the village [connotes young leaves at one's home town]
- 谷若葉【たにわかば】 tani wakaba young leaves in the valley
- 庭若葉【にわわかば】 niwa wakaba young leaves in the garden
- 若葉雨【わかばあめ】 wakaba ame rain in the young leaves / rain at the time of young leaves
- 若葉風【わかばかぜ】 wakaba kaze wind in the young leaves
万緑【ばんりょく】 banryoku myriad green leaves [literally "myriad green"] (all summer)
緑陰【りょくいん】 ryokuin green shade (all summer)
柿若葉【かきわかば】 kakiwakaba young/new persimmon leaves (early summer)
病葉【わくらば】 wakuraba weak/sickly/pale leaves [losing the colors of their prime] (late summer)
卯の花【うのはな】 u-no-hana deutzia flowers [Deutzia crenata] (early summer)
- 卯木の花【うつぎのはな】 utsugi-no-hana deutzia flowers
The deutzia is a small tree of the saxifrage family which grows wild throughout much of Japan.
In May and June, tiny five-petalled flowers cover the tips of its branches, looking like snow. The name
u-no-hana is a contraction of utsugi-no-hana, though it is also said that the name derives
from the fact that they blossom in the fourth month of the lunar calendar, called uzuki (卯月【うづき】).
The branches of the tree are hollow (utsuro), so another argument is that the name was originally
utsurogi ("hollow tree"). Its array of white blossoms against green foliage has for centuries
been taken as an emblem of early summer. The tree is cultivated for gardens, hedgerows and for marking
the boundaries of fields, and its wood is used to make pegs. Some varieties have double-petalled flowers.
The princess deutzia (hime-utsugi) and round-leaved deutzia (maruba-utsugi) are related
species, but though the names are similar, the Hakone weigela (hakone-utsugi) and valley weigela
tani-utsugi belong to the honeysuckle family and are not related.
The stark white flowers of the deutzia tree line a path through the mountains in early summer. At one
point the path forks, one track leading down into the valley below. The time is dusk, and the path into
the valley is not clearly visible, but the poet can see deutzia flowers blossoming by the way.
卯の花や彳む人の透き通り
麦水
u-no-hana ya tatazu hito no sukitōri
Deutzia blossoms
someone pausing there
transparent
Bakusui
卯の花の中に崩れし庵かな
樗良
u-no-hana no naka ni kuzureshi iori kana
Among the deutzia
blossoms--collapsed
hut of a recluse
Chora
夜にかけて卯の花曇る旅もどり
飯田蛇笏
yo ni kakete u-no-hana kumoru tabimodori
Through the night
clouds of deutzia blossoms
I return from a journey
Iida Dakotsu
卯の花の夕べの道の谷へ落つ
臼田亜浪
u-no-hana no yūbe no michi no tani e otsu
Deutzia flowers
the evening path
drops into the valley
Usuda Arō
野茨【のいばら】 noibara wild rose(s) [Rosa multiflora] (early summer)
- 茨の花【いばらのはな】 ibara no hana wild rose blossoms
- 花うばら【はなうばら】 hanaubara wild rose blossom(s) / flowering wild roses
桐の花【きりのはな】 kiri no hana paulownia blossoms [Paulownia tomentosa] (early summer)
朴の花【ほおのはな】 hō no hana （ほほのはな）, magnolia blossom(s) [Magnolia hypoleuca] (early summer)
椎の花【しいのはな】 shii no hana （しひのはな）, pasania blossoms [Castanopsis cuspidata, a hardwood tree related to the oaks] (mid summer)
合歓の花【ねむのはな】 nemu no hana silk-tree blossoms [Albizia julibrissin; sometimes called "mimosa"--a name actually belonging to a related genus] (late summer)
- ねぶのはな nebu no hana silk-tree blossoms
- 花合歓【はなねむ】 hananemu blossoming silk tree
玫瑰（浜茄子）【はまなす】 hama-nasu rugosa rose / saltspray rose [Rosa rugosa] (late summer)
- 浜梨【はまなし】 hamanashi rugosa rose
桑の実【くわのみ】 kuwa no mi （くはのみ）, mulberries (mid summer)
- 桑苺【くわいちご】 kuwaichigo mulberries
竹落葉【たけおちば】 take-ochiba fallen bamboo leaves (early summer)
燕子花【かきつばた】 kakitsubata blue flag [Iris laevigata] (mid summer)
- 杜若【かきつばた】 kakitsubata blue flag
The blue flag is a perennial of the iris family that grows in swamps and marshes in Japan, Korea,
northeastern China and eastern Siberia. In ancient times the flowers were used to rub patterns into cloth
for robes, so it acquired the name kakitsukebana ("writing flowers"), later contracted to kakitsubata.
In June it puts forth purple blossoms, though some cultivated varieties have white or purple-speckled
petals. An old proverb poses the riddle "Which are irises (ayame) and which are blue flags (kakitsubata)?"
There are several differences. The leaves of the former are about one centimeter wide, while the blue
flag's leaves are three centimeters wide. The flowers of the ayame blossom at about the same height
as the tips of the leaves, while the blue flag's flowers are below the height of the leaves. The petals
of the ayame are marked at the base by a netted pattern of purple spots, while the blue flag has
a vertical yellow streak in the same area.
Weeds (migiwa-gusa) here refers to miscellaneous grasses growing at the shoreline. Among these
rise several blue flags, displaying their noble flowers. Very likely, not far from here stands a dense
growth of blue flags blossoming in splendid isolation.
息つめて莟をきるやかきつばた
梅室
iki tsumete tsubomi o kiru ya kakitsubata
Holding my breath
I snip off some buds--
blue flags
Baishitsu
舟着きてそこらに波や杜若
長谷川零余子
fune tsukite sokora ni nami ya kakitsubata
As the boat reaches shore
waves rise there--
and blue flags
Hasegawa Reiyoshi
野の池や葉ばかりのびし杜若
泉鏡花
no no ike ya ha bakari nobishi kakitsubata
Pond in a field--
nothing but blue flags'
leaves rising
Izumi Kyōka
杜若汀草にも咲きまじり
富安風生
kakitsubata migiwagusa ni mo sakimajiri
Blue flag blossoms
among the weeds
at the water's edge
Tomiyasu Fūsei
花菖蒲【はなしょうぶ】 hanashōbu iris / blue flag / white flag [Iris ensata] (mid summer)
芍薬【しゃくやく】 shakuyaku peony [Paeonia lactiflora] (early summer)
向日葵【ひまわり】 himawari （ひまはり）, sunflower [Helianthus annuus] (late summer)
- 日車【ひぐるま】 higuruma sunflower
- 日輪草【にちりんそう】 nichirinsō sunflower
葵【あおい】 aoi （あおひ）, hollyhock / althea [Alcea rosea; not to be confused with 木槿【むくげ】 mukuge, rose of Sharon / shrub althea, Hybiscus syriacus], and autumn kidai (mid summer)
罌粟の花【けしのはな】 keshi no hana poppy/poppies [Papaver somniferum, typically red or white blossoms] (early summer)
- 芥子の花【けしのはな】 keshi no hana poppy/poppies
撫子【なでしこ】 nadeshiko fringed pinks [Dianthus superbus] (late summer)
- 常夏【とこなつ】 tokonatsu endless summer [literal]
- {B00}To include in entry on this one: In most of Japan, this flower begins blooming in July, and therefore it is included in summer in most modern saijiki. However, it blooms well into autumn, and is one among 秋の七草【ななくさ】 aki no nana kusa the seven autumn flowers; therefore some authorities place it in autumn
睡蓮【すいれん】 suiren （すゐれん）, water lily/lilies [white-flowered; Nymphaea species; see also 河骨【こうほね】 kōhone] (late summer)
- 未草【ひつじぐさ】 hitsujigusa water lily/lilies [literally "sheep plant" because its flowers open during the "hour of the sheep"--1-3 p.m.]
百合の花【ゆりのはな】 yuri no hana lily flower(s) / lilies [Lilium species] (late summer)
- 百合【ゆり】 yuri lily/lilies
- 白百合【しらゆり】 shirayuri white lily/lilies
- 山百合【やまゆり】 yama-yuri golden-rayed lily/lilies [literally "mountain lily"; L. auratum]
- 姫百合【ひめゆり】 hime-yuri star lily/lilies [literally "princess lily" L. concolor]
- 笹百合【ささゆり】 sasa-yuri Japanese/bamboo lily/lilies [L. japonicum]
- 鬼百合【おにゆり】 oni-yuri tiger lily/lilies [literally "demon lily"; L. lancifolium]
- 透百合【すかしゆり】 sukashi-yuri translucent lily/lilies [literal; L. maculatum]
- 車百合【くるまゆり】 kuruma-yuri wheel lily/lilies [literal; L. medeoloides]
松葉牡丹【まつばぼたん】 matsubabotan portulaca / rose moss [literally "pine-needle peony"; Portulaca grandiflora] (late summer)
- 日照草【ひでりぐさ】 hiderigusa sun plant [another name for portulaca in both Japanese and English]
- 爪切草【つめきりぐさ】 tsumekirigusa portulaca [literally "nail-cutting plant"]
百日草【ひゃくにちそう】 hyakunichisō （ひやくにちさう）, zinnia [literally "hundred-day flower"; Zinnia species] (late summer)
苺【いちご】 ichigo strawberries [the commercial variety] (early summer)
瓜の花【うりのはな】 uri no hana melon flower(s) (early summer)
夕顔【ゆうがお】 yūgao （ゆふがほ）, moon flower(s) [literally "evening face(s)"; name of a chapter in the Tale of Genji] (late summer)
蕗【ふき】 fuki butterbur [Petasites japonica] (early summer)
- 蕗の葉【ふきのは】 fuki no ha butterbur leaves/leaf
- 蕗畑【ふきばたけ】 fukibatake butterbur field
- 伽羅蕗【きゃらぶき】 kyarabuki aloes-wood butterbur [figurative; a dish of butterbur leaves boiled in soy sauce]
茄子【なす】 nasu eggplant / aubergine [Solanum species] (late summer)
- なすび nasubi eggplant / aubergine
紫蘇【しそ】 shiso beefsteak plant / perilla [noted for its foliage; Perilla frutescens] (late summer)
- 青紫蘇【あおしそ】 aoshiso green beefsteak plant / green perilla
麦【むぎ】 mugi barley (early summer)
- 麦の穂【むぎのほ】 mugi no ho barley in ear
- 穂麦【ほむぎ】 homugi barley ear
夏草【なつくさ】 natsu kusa （なつぐさ）, summer grass(es) (and wildflowers) [note that the Japanese is not restricted to grasses, though usually translated as if it were] (all summer)
草いきれ【くさいきれ】 kusa ikire rank grass [includes other plants] (late summer)
青芒【あおすすき】 aosusuki （あをすすき）, green pampas grass [Miscanthus species, usually M. sinensis] (all summer)
- 芒茂る【すすきしげる】 susuki shigeru pampas grass is luxuriant
- 青萱【あおがや】 aogaya green sedge [Cyperus species]
- 萱茂る【かやしげる】 kaya shigeru sedge is luxuriant
- 青蘆（青葦）【あおあし】 aoashi green reeds/rushes [Phragmites species]
鈴蘭【すずらん】 suzuran lily of the valley [literally "bell lily"; Convallaria kesskei] (early summer)
- 君影草【きみかげそう】 lily of the valley kimikagesomacr;, [literally "your-shadow plant"]
- 十薬【じゅうやく】 jūyaku（じふやく）, dokudami flower(s) [small, white flowers of a Chinese medicinal herb, Houttuynia cordata]
- どくだみ dokudami dokudami
- どくだみの花【どくだみの花】 dokudami no hana dokudami flower(s)
昼顔【ひるがお】 hirugao （ひるがほ）, bindweed [pale lavender-pink flowers; literally, "midday-face"; Calystegia japonica, sometimes called "wild morning-glory"] (mid summer)
- 浜昼顔【はまひるがお】 hama hirugao beach bindweed [pale pink flowers; C. soldanella]
月見草【つきみそう】 tsukimisō （つきみさう）, evening primrose [literally "moon-viewing plant"; Oenothera tetraptera] (late summer)
- 待宵草【まつよいぐさ】 matsuyoigusa fragrant evening primrose [literally "waiting-night plant"; see 待宵【まつよい】 matsuyoi in autumn; Oenothera odorata]
- 大待宵草【おおまつよいぐさ】 ōmatsuyoigusa large evening primrose [literal]
- 荒地待宵草【あれちまつよいぐさ】 arechi-matsuyoigusa wasteland evening primrose [literal]
- 小待宵草【こまつよいぐさ】 komatsuyoigusa small evening primrose [literal]
水芭蕉【みずばしょう】 mizu-bashō （みずばせう）, (Japanese) skunk cabbage [features upright, white spathe; Lysichiton camtschatcense] (mid summer)
河骨【こうほね】 kōhone （かうほね）, water lily/lilies / spatterdock [literally "river bones", but found in ponds and lakes as well; yellow-flowered; Nuphar species] (mid summer)
- 川骨【かわほね】 kawahone water lily/lilies / spatterdock
蒲【がま】 gama cattails / bulrushes [American "cattail" = British "bulrush", Typha latifolia; see next kidai] (all summer)
- 御簾草【みすぐさ】 misugusa cattails
蒲の花【がまのはな】 gama no hana cattails [literally "cattail flowers"] (late summer)
浜木綿【はまゆう】 hamayū （はまゆふ）, white spider lily / crinum / poison lily / poison bulb [literally "beach cotton", Crinum asiaticum var. Japonicum] (late summer)
- 浜万年青【はまおもと】 hama-omoto white spider-lily [literally "beach lily-of-China", referring to a similarity of appearance to Rohdea japonica]
十薬【じゅうやく】 jūyaku （じふやく）, dokudami flower(s) [small, white flowers of a Chinese medicinal herb, Houttuynia cordata] (mid summer)
- どくだみ dokudami dokudami
- どくだみの花【どくだみの花】 dokudami no hana dokudami flower(s)
鷺草【さぎそう】 sagi-sō （さぎさう）, heron plant / egret plant [literal; white-flowering member of the orchid family, Habenaria radiata or Orchis r.] (late summer)
螢袋【ほたるぶくろ】 hotarubukuro bellflowers [pale lavender flowers; literally, "firefly bag"; Campanula punctata, closely related to those below] (mid summer)
- 釣鐘草【つりがねそう】 tsuriganesō dotted bellflowers / lady-bells [similar to above; literally "snare-bell plant"; Adenophora triphylla var. japonica, most common Japanese name: 釣鐘人参【つりがねにんじん】tsurigane-ninjin, "snare-bell carrot/ginseng"]
- 提灯花【ちょうちんばな】 chōchinbana bellflowers [the same; literally "paper-lantern flower"; as all above, this name may be applied to any lavendar-pink bellflowers]
- 風鈴草【ふうりんそう】 fūrinsō Canterbury bells [blue-violet flowers; literally "wind-chime flowers"; Campanula medium]
- カンパニュラ kanpanyura bellflowers
蛇苺【へびいちご】 hebi-ichigo wild strawberries [the fruit; literally "snake strawberries"; Duchesnea species] (early summer)
藻の花【ものはな】 mo no hana waterweed flowers (mid summer)
- 花藻【はなも】 hanamo waterweed flowers / flowering waterweed
萍【うきくさ】 ukikusa duckweed [family Lemnaceae] (all summer)
Duckweed is a perennial of the duckweed family which grows in clusters on the surface of the water
of rice paddies and ponds. There is no distinction between its leaf and stem. The foliate portion is
green, about 5 to 8 mm (2-3") in diameter, and purple underneath. Several tiny roots extend from the
center of the underside of the leaf, which floats freely on the surface of the water. The plant reproduces
agamically. In the summer, very infrequently small white blosssoms may appear on the underside of the
leaf. In the winter, the plant producse a small, round winter bud and sinks to the bottom of the water
to hibernate. One familiar related variety, the ao-ukikusa ("blue duckweed"), is about half of
the size of common duckweed and has a single root. The even smaller mijinkō-ukikusa (literally
"rice granule duckweed") is only 1.5 mm (0.6") in diameter and has no root. The plant called "red duckweed"
(aka-ukikusa) is not actually related to duckweed but is species of fern.
The sun has set, but the air is still close with summer heat. A moment's light breeze brings a waft of
coolness. This is not visible directly, but can be seen in the rippling motion as the duckweed on the
surface of the pond moves.
雨ならず萍をさざめかすもの
富安風生
ame narazu ukikusa o saza-mekasu mono
If not the rain,
what makes
the duckweed merry?
Tomiyasu Fūsei
萍に木場の月夜となりにけり
籾山柑子
ukikusa ni kiba no tsukiyo to narinikeri
It's become a moonlit
night of duckweed and
a timberyard
Momiyama Kōji
萍の掃かれし如く乱れたる
浜田披牛
ukikusa no hakareshi gotoku midaretaru
Duckweed
shaken up as though
swept with a broom
Hamada Higyū
晩涼に池の萍みな動く
高濱虚子
banryō ni ike no ukikusa mina ugoku
Evening cool
the duckweed in the pond
all in motion
Takahama Hyoshi
黴【かび】 kabi mold/mildew (mid summer)
- 黴の宿【かびのやど】 kabi no yado mildewed inn/lodging
- 黴の香【かびのか】 kabi no ka scent of mildew
