August 22

Birth Flower

Snake-eye Chrysanthemum
Sanvitalia Creeping Zinnia

Scientific Name: Sanvitalia procumbens
Family: Asteraceae

Flower Language

  • poignant joy
  • look at me
  • beginning of love

Characteristics

Colors: bright yellow

Description

Snake-eye Chrysanthemum is a low-growing annual that branches extensively to cover the ground, producing many small flowers about 3cm in diameter. The bright yellow petals and dark brown centers create a beautiful contrast. With a long flowering period from May to November and good heat tolerance, it's ideal for summer flower beds.

Trivia

  • Named 'Sanvitalia' after 18th-century Italian botanist Federico Sanvitale
  • Called 'Snake-eye Chrysanthemum' in Japanese due to its eye-like flower center
  • Very hardy and low-maintenance, making it popular with beginner gardeners
  • Remarkably long flowering period, blooming continuously for about 6 months

Uses

Ornamental
  • border planting
  • ground cover
  • hanging baskets
Medicinal
  • no known medicinal properties

Caution: no particular cautions

Culinary

not suitable for consumption

Other
  • nectar source for small insects

Toxicity

Symptoms: no toxicity reported

Torenia
Wishbone Flower Summer Snapdragon

Scientific Name: Torenia fournieri
Family: Linderniaceae

Flower Language

  • charming you
  • inspiration
  • gentleness
  • charm

Characteristics

Colors:

Description

Torenia is a tropical plant that's heat-resistant, very hardy, and has a long flowering period, making it ideal for summer flower beds and balcony cultivation. Flower colors include deep blue, light blue, pink, purple, and yellow, with flowers 2-3cm in diameter featuring beautiful bicolor patterns like white with pink edges or blue with purple margins. The petals can be eaten scattered in salads.

Trivia

  • Named after Swedish missionary Olof Torén
  • Species name 'fournieri' honors French botanist Eugene Pierre Nicolas Fournier
  • Also known as 'Summer Violet' or 'Wishbone Flower'
  • Unusual among summer flowers for its shade tolerance

Uses

Ornamental
  • bedding plants
  • container gardening
  • hanging baskets
Medicinal
  • no known medicinal properties

Caution: no particular cautions

Culinary
  • petals
Other
  • attracts small insects as a nectar source

Toxicity

Symptoms: no toxicity reported, petals are edible

Sunflower
Common Sunflower

Scientific Name: Helianthus annuus
Family: Asteraceae

Flower Language

  • I look only at you
  • adoration
  • radiance
  • passion

Characteristics

Colors: yellow

Description

Sunflower is an annual plant from the Asteraceae family, native to North America, famous for its heliotropic behavior of turning to follow the sun. Plant height varies from 20cm to 200cm depending on variety, with large flowers reaching 10-30cm in diameter. A single flower produces about 1500-3000 seeds, from which sunflower oil is extracted for various uses.

Trivia

  • Scientific name 'Helianthus' comes from Greek 'helios' (sun) and 'anthos' (flower)
  • World record for tallest sunflower is about 9.17 meters
  • Made world-famous by Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' series
  • What appears to be one flower is actually hundreds to thousands of tiny flowers in a flower head

Uses

Ornamental
  • garden planting
  • cut flowers
  • landscape planting
Medicinal
  • seed oil sometimes used for skin moisturizing

Caution: no particular cautions

Culinary
  • seeds
  • young buds
Other
  • sunflower oil production
  • livestock feed
  • biofuel

Toxicity

Symptoms: no toxicity reported, seeds are safe for consumption

Japanese Meadowsweet
Filipendula Shimotsuke Grass

Scientific Name: Filipendula multijuga
Family: Rosaceae

Flower Language

  • modest charm
  • pure heart
  • gentleness

Characteristics

Colors: light pink

Description

Japanese Meadowsweet is an endemic Japanese perennial of the Rosaceae family. It has thick rhizomes and stems 20-100cm tall that are upright, slender, and branched at the top. Flowers are 4-5mm in diameter, arranged in terminal corymbs, with 3-5 light pink petals, blooming from June to August. It grows in sunny, somewhat moist grasslands from lowland to subalpine zones, often forming colonies.

Trivia

  • Genus name 'Filipendula' derives from 'filum' (thread) and 'penduls' (hanging), describing the root structure
  • Species name 'multijuga' means 'many-paired', referring to the paired branching of flower stalks
  • Alternative name 'Grass Spirea' refers to its resemblance to woody Spirea
  • Its colony formation in highland wetlands is so beautiful it's called the 'Queen of the Highlands'

Uses

Ornamental
  • wild plant garden cultivation
  • highland garden design
  • naturalistic gardens
Medicinal
  • sometimes used in folk medicine, but specific effects are unclear

Caution: professional guidance needed for medicinal use

Culinary

not suitable for consumption

Other
  • indicator species for ecosystem conservation
  • landscape plant for highlands

Toxicity

Toxicity Level: Mild

Toxic Parts: whole plant

Symptoms: detailed toxicity unknown, but not suitable for consumption