September 29

Birth Flower

Indian lettuce
Wild lettuce Autumn lettuce

Scientific Name: Lactuca indica
Family: Asteraceae

Flower Language

  • Cool love
  • Modesty

Characteristics

Colors:

Description

An annual or biennial plant that grows in sunny roadsides and wastelands. Although it belongs to a different genus from Noogeshi, it gets its name from producing similar flowers in autumn. It is characterized by producing white latex when stems and leaves are cut, and is considered a prehistoric naturalized plant that came to Japan with rice cultivation.

Trivia

  • Has alternative names such as milk grass, horse clover, and rabbit grass
  • Called 'milk grass' because white latex comes out when stems and leaves are cut
  • Has an ancient history of coming to Japan with rice culture
  • Often confused with Noogeshi because of similar flower shape, though they belong to different genera

Uses

Ornamental
  • Creates natural scenery as a wild plant
Medicinal
  • Sometimes used in folk medicine

Caution: Avoid medicinal use without professional knowledge

Culinary

Not commonly used for culinary purposes

Other
  • Food source for wildlife in ecosystems

Toxicity

Toxicity Level: Mild

Toxic Parts: Stems, Leaves

Symptoms: Contact with latex may cause dermatitis

Portulaca
Green purslane Moss rose

Scientific Name: Portulaca oleracea
Family: Portulacaceae

Flower Language

  • Innocence
  • Always energetic
  • Lovely

Characteristics

Colors:

Description

Although related to Moss Rose, it has better flowering than Moss Rose and is perfect for ground cover from summer to autumn. Despite its delicate appearance, it is surprisingly strong against intense summer sunlight and drought, producing colorful flowers continuously. Its succulent leaves and stems make it drought-resistant, and while it is strong against heat, it is weak against cold.

Trivia

  • Also has the Japanese name Hanasuberihiyu
  • Has amazing heat resistance, blooming vigorously even in midsummer sun
  • Has the nature of a day flower that opens in the morning and closes in the evening
  • Some varieties are used for food in certain regions

Uses

Ornamental
  • Ground cover
  • Border planting
  • Container planting
  • Hanging baskets
Medicinal
  • Sometimes used in folk medicine

Caution: Avoid medicinal use without professional knowledge

Culinary
  • Leaves
  • Stems
Other
  • Nectar source for bees and butterflies

Toxicity

Symptoms: No particular toxicity reported

Water pepper
Jumpseed Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate

Scientific Name: Persicaria filiformis
Family: Polygonaceae

Flower Language

  • Celebration
  • Festival
  • Joy
  • Gratitude

Characteristics

Colors: Red and white

Description

A perennial herb of the Polygonaceae family that blooms small flowers in spikes from August to November. The flower color is red on the upper half and white on the lower half, extending thin, long flower stems like lines. The Japanese name comes from the fact that the red and white flower spikes resemble mizuhiki cords used on gift envelopes. The leaves sometimes have a figure-eight pattern depending on the season.

Trivia

  • Ginmizuhiki (white flower variety) also exists
  • Figure-eight patterns sometimes appear on leaves
  • Kinmizuhiki is a different plant belonging to a different genus
  • Named for its flower spikes resembling mizuhiki cords

Uses

Ornamental
  • Used as tea ceremony flowers
  • Material for flower arrangement
  • Cultivated as garden groundcover
  • Appreciation in wild plant gardens
Medicinal
  • Sometimes used in folk medicine

Caution: Avoid medicinal use without professional knowledge

Culinary

Not commonly used for culinary purposes

Other
  • Decorative use to create seasonal atmosphere
  • Literary use as seasonal word in haiku and tanka

Toxicity

Symptoms: No particular toxicity reported

Japanese pampas grass
Eulalia Chinese silver grass Maiden grass

Scientific Name: Miscanthus sinensis
Family: Poaceae

Flower Language

  • Vitality
  • Life force
  • Hearts connecting

Characteristics

Colors: Silvery white

Description

A perennial herbaceous plant of the Poaceae family, beloved as one of the seven autumn grasses. It grows 1-2 meters tall and produces flower spikes 20-30 cm long divided into more than ten branches from summer to autumn. Also called obana or furisodegusa, it is a major species of useful plants called kaya. It has been used as material for thatched roofs since ancient times.

Trivia

  • The tallest plant among the seven autumn grasses
  • Called 'obana' for its beautiful appearance swaying in the wind
  • Indispensable to Japanese architecture as the main material for thatched roofs
  • Sung about many times in the Manyoshu under the name 'obana'

Uses

Ornamental
  • Mid-autumn festival decoration
  • Autumn flower arrangement
  • Garden decoration
  • Dried flowers
Medicinal
  • Roots sometimes used in folk medicine

Caution: Avoid medicinal use without professional knowledge

Culinary
  • Immature spikes
Other
  • Thatched roof material
  • Charcoal wrapping
  • Livestock feed
  • Paper raw material

Toxicity

Symptoms: No particular toxicity reported

Apple
Common apple Domestic apple

Scientific Name: Malus domestica
Family: Rosaceae

Flower Language

  • Priority
  • Temptation
  • Choice
  • Fame

Characteristics

Colors: White to pink

Description

A deciduous tall tree of the Rosaceae family, it is a representative fruit tree cultivated worldwide. It blooms beautiful white to pink flowers from April to May, and bears fruits of various colors such as red, green, and yellow in autumn. There are said to be about 15,000 varieties worldwide and about 2,000 varieties in Japan, beloved not only for food but also for ornamental purposes.

Trivia

  • Famous as the fruit that inspired Newton to discover universal gravitation
  • The proverb 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' exists
  • One of the most widely cultivated fruit trees in the world
  • The flower language 'temptation' derives from the forbidden fruit in the Old Testament

Uses

Ornamental
  • Spring flower viewing
  • Cultivation as garden tree
  • Bonsai
  • Cut flowers
Medicinal
  • Diarrhea treatment
  • Appetite stimulation
  • Fatigue recovery effect
  • Cholesterol lowering action

Caution: Avoid large consumption of seeds due to amygdalin content

Culinary
  • Fruit
  • Flowers (decorative)
Other
  • Raw material for juice and alcoholic beverages
  • Use as lumber
  • Raw material for fragrances

Toxicity

Toxicity Level: Mild

Toxic Parts: Seeds

Symptoms: Amygdalin in seeds may produce hydrogen cyanide when consumed in large quantities