Stokesia blooms from early summer to summer, and its cool-looking flowers leave a lasting impression. The flower is associated with the meaning of “pure and modest maiden” due to its appearance. It continues to bloom from around June to October and is highly valued during the period when there are few flowers in midsummer, as it is very robust and can bloom well even in partial shade. Due to its flower color, it harmonizes well with both Japanese and Western styles, making it popular as a purple-themed cut flower in summer and also beloved as a flower for flower beds. On the other hand, in Western culture, blue and purple are considered colors that symbolize “sadness,” hence it has the floral language of “remembrance.” As it is also called ‘Ruri-giku’ in Japanese, there was a lot of interest in the azure-colored Yaguruma-giku flower-like flower. Stokesia is a hardy perennial native to the southeastern United States and was introduced to Japan in the 1910s. It is a rare flower with only one species in its genus and without any closely related species.

初夏から夏に咲く花らしく、涼しげな花が印象的です。その花の見た目から「清楚な娘」という花言葉が付いたそうです。花は6月頃から10月頃まで咲き続け、とても強健で半日陰でもよく咲かせるため、真夏の花の少ない時期にはとても重宝されています。花色によって和風、洋風ともに調和するので、夏の紫系の切り花としても人気があり、花壇用としても親しまれています。一方、西洋では青や紫は“悲しみ”をあらわす色だとされていて、「追想」という花言葉が付きました。和名でも「瑠璃菊」と呼ぶ様に、瑠璃色の矢車菊に似た花に関心が向きました。ストケシアは北アメリカ南東部原産の耐寒性多年草で、日本には1910年代に渡来しました。近縁種をもたず１属1種の珍しい花でもあります。