The state of Hyakunichi-so has changed completely now. It is a flower that was always offered to Buddhist Buddha in the Obon time, and nowadays it is called Zinnia, and there are many dwarf varieties suitable for flower beds and containers, which makes it a very popular gardening material. The Zinnia in the photo was taken in a nearby park, and it is called Zinnia Profision, a gardening species created by “Sakata Seeds Co.” by crossing Zinnia elegans and Zinnia linealis. The flowering period is long as the name “hyakunich(hundred days)”, and it continues to bloom one after another throughout the summer.

百日草も随分様変わりしたものです。昔からお盆には必ず仏前にお供えした花ですが、今はジニアと呼ばれて、花壇やコンテナなどに適した矮性の品種がたくさん流通しており、ガーデニング素材としてとても人気があります。写真のジニアは近くの公園で撮ったものですが、ジニア・プロフィージョンと言って、「サカタのタネ」が百日草（ジニア・エレガンス）とジニア・リネアリスを交配してつくり出した園芸種です。「百日」というだけあって開花期間が長く、夏中次々と咲き続けます。

Kunlunka is a flower that makes us feel romantic just by listening to its name. At the border between the Taklimakan Desert in the Uighur Autonomous Region and the Tibetan Autonomous Region, in the western part of China, there is the Kunlun Mountains, which is 3,000km east-west and has more than 200 mountains over 6,000m high. From ancient times, in China, it has been said that there is “Kunlun Mountain” in the far west, where water containing immortal components flows and the hermit lives. Kunlunka with dark green leaves, pure white calyx and star-studded yellow flowers certainly reminds us of “Kunlun Mountain”.

崑崙花、名前からしてロマンをそそる花です。中国の西域、ウイグル自治区にあるタクラマカン砂漠とチベット自治区との境には、東西3000km、6000mを超える高山が200以上連なる崑崙山脈があります。昔から中国では、遥か西に「崑崙山」があり、そこには不老不死の水が流れ、仙人が住んでいると言い伝えられてきました。濃い緑の葉と真っ白な萼、星を散りばめた様な黄色い花々、崑崙花はまさに「崑崙山」を思い起こさせる花だったのです。

The rice field is already covered with a young leaf color. As I walk along the ridge between rice fields, the sun shine during the rainy season is hard and makes me sweat. There is a tree standing in front of me, and it has flowers that are sober. I rushed into its shade. Looking closely at the flowers, I can see that it is a tree of Sendan. It’s a very lovely flower though it doesn’t stand out in the distance. I can understand well that Sei Shonagon loved this flower very much and that a tanka about Sendan was composed in the Manyoshu. By the way, “Sendan” means sandalwood in Chinese, and “Sendan” in the Japanese idiom “Sendan gives off a good scent from the time of young leaves” is sandalwood.

田んぼももう一面若葉色です。畦道を歩いていると、梅雨の晴れ間の陽光が照りつけ、汗ばんできます。先に一本の木が立っていて、地味ながらも花を付けています。急いでその木陰に入りました。花をよく見るとセンダンの木です。遠目には目立ちませんが、とても可愛い花です。清少納言がこよなく愛でて、万葉集にも歌われたこの花の美しさがよく分かります。因みにセンダン(栴檀)は中国では香木の白檀のことを指し、「栴檀は双葉より芳し」の「栴檀」は白檀のことで、中国語がすり替えられて使われています。

Byakudan is a very common “string cactus”, and if you cut it vaguely and insert it in the soil, it will increase as much as you want. However, it is not easy to make flowers bloom. Even if you grow up with tender care, it does not bloom, but rather if it is completely dried by being exposed to the cold wind and even if it wilts out, you will leave it, it will bloom so beautiful now. This Byakudan has blossomed on a splendid stone wall without the master because none take care of it.

白檀はごくありふれた「ひもサボテン」で、適当に切って土に挿しておけばいくらでも増えます。しかし、花を咲かせるのは容易ではありません。可愛い可愛いと育てたからといって花を咲かせるものではなく、かえって寒風に晒されて完全に乾燥し、萎み切っても放って置くと今頃こんなに綺麗な花を咲かせます。雑草が生い茂る、主人なきこの立派な石垣にだからこそ、白檀は花を咲かせたのです。

On a clear day during the rainy season, the white Hangesho stands out in the forest. If you look closely, you can see small, inconspicuous flowers blooming. Bees do not notice with such flowers. Therefore, the leaves turn pure white to stand out and replace the flowers, attracting bees. When pollination is completed, it returns to the original green color. This plant is also called “Hangesho” assorted with “Hangesho day” of eleventh day after the summer solstice according to the calendar. Around this time, the leaves of Hangesho turn white. On “Hangesho day”, it has always been customary to eat octopus. There used to be a chic sushi restaurant that served an octopus sushi putting Hangesho on the bottom of octopus material on the “Hangesho day”.

梅雨の晴れ間、森の陽だまりに真っ白いハンゲショウが一際目立ちます。目を凝らして見ると、小さくて目立たない花がちょろっと咲いています。これでは蜂も寄り付きません。そこで葉が代わって真っ白に化粧をし、蜂を誘き寄せるから「半化粧」なのです。受粉を終えると元の緑に返ります。「半夏生」とも書きますが、夏至から数えて十一日目、七月の二日当たりを暦の上で「半夏生の日」と言い、この頃にハンゲショウの葉が白くなるからです。半夏生の日には昔から蛸を食べる習慣があります。昔、半夏生の日に、蛸ネタの床にハンゲショウの葉を敷く粋な寿司屋さんがありました。

Lantana begins to bloom at about the same time as hydrangea. Hydrangea only blooms for about a month, but lantana continues to bloom until the end of autumn. It is a very vital plant and blooms many flowers even in a small sand pool in a stone wall. It is vulnerable to cold, so it will die in winter in Japan. However, it continues to breed all year round in tropical and subtropical regions such as Australia and Southeast Asia, and is therefore one of “the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world”. There are petals of various colors in one flower, and it is also called “seven changes” because it changes colors depending on the season.

ランタナはアジサイ とほぼ同じ頃に咲き始めます。アジサイ は精々一カ月位しか咲きませんが、ランタナは秋の終わり位まで咲き続けます。非常に生命力の強い植物で、石垣のちょっとした砂だまりにも沢山の花を咲かせます。寒さに弱いので、日本では冬には枯れてしまいます。しかし、オーストラリアや東南アジアなどの熱帯・亜熱帯地域では一年中繁殖を続けるので、「世界の侵略的外来種ワースト100」の一つに数えられています。一つの花の中にも様々な色の花弁があり、季節毎に色を変えるので「七変化」とも呼ばれます。

When you walk in the bush in autumn, you may find a bright red vertical fruit hanging on a vine. It’s Karasu-uri. However, I think few people know the flower. Karasu-uri flower appears in a fascinating appearance when the sun goes down, wearing a white lace evening dress. And in the morning the flowers wither. During the night, it emits a fragrance and invites only Suzume-ga, which has a long beak. Only Suzume-ga can ingest deep nectar. In this way, she continue to wait for Suzume-ga every night for four days, pollinate and wait for autumn fruit.

秋、藪の中を歩いていると蔓にぶら下った真っ赤な縦長の実を見つける事があります。カラスウリです。しかし、その花をご存知の方は少ないと思います。カラスウリの花は日が暮れる頃、真っ白なレースの夜会服を着て、妖艶な姿で現れます。芳香を放ち、口ばしの長いスズメガだけを誘います。奥深くにある蜜を吸えるのはスズメガしかいないからです。こうして四日間、夜毎スズメガを待ち続け、受粉して秋の実りを待ちます。

When I dropped there by hoping that the three lily sisters would be blooming, they are in full bloom this year as expected. It will be many years since I first met them. I don’t know anyone planted them, but these three sisters are planted just a little further from the usual walking path. At first, the number of flowers was one or two, but now I have many flowers. Lilies grow more and more flowers as they get older. From the number, I wonder if it’s been four or five years since I met them. I am very happy today to make sure that each other is doing well.

今年も元気に咲いているかなと期待をかけて立ち寄ってみると、期待通りユリの三姉妹がしっかりと花を咲かせています。初めて出会ってからもう何年になるでしょう。誰が植えたのでしょう、いつもの散歩道からちょっと踏み込んだ所にこの三姉妹が植っています。最初は花の数も一つか二つでしたが、今では沢山の花を付けています。ユリは年を経るほど花の数を増やします。数からすると出会ってから4、5年になるのかなあ。お互いに元気で良かったね。

It is believed that Kobo Daishi Kukai still lives in the Koyasan, and continues to meditate in the hope of world peace and the well-being of the people. And many worshipers come from not only in Japan but also abroad to the mausoleum of Koyasan Okunoin. The event that meals are delivered twice a day to a master who still continues to meditate is called “Shoujingu”. During also the rainy season, two priests who are led by the Yuina monk are carrying the morning meal to the Master. For 1200 years, it’s always a morning event, which may not be visible, but Kobo Daishi Kukai is certainly there.

高野山奥之院の御廟には、弘法大師空海が今もなおそこに生き、世界平和と人々の幸福を願い瞑想を続けていると信じられ、国内のみならず海外からも多くの参拝客が訪れています。「生身供(しょうじんぐ)と言って、毎日二回、今なお瞑想を続ける大師に食事を届けます。折からの梅雨の中、今朝も二人の僧が案内人の維那（ゆいな／僧侶の職名)に従って御廟に向かっています。1200年の間、いつも変わらね朝の行事です。姿としては見えないかもしれませんが、弘法大師空海は確かにそこにいらっしゃいます。

Yamayuri can be easily understood even from a distance. This is because it is the largest, gorgeous, and highly odorous flower in Japan. For some reason, I think of Yamato Takeru when I see this flower. Yamayuri has been inhabiting all over Japan for such a long time. It must have left a strong impression on the eyes of foreigners who came to Japan. It was introduced to foreign countries early on, and hybrid species such as Casablanca were also born. Yamayuri, Tamotoyuri and Kanokoyuri were the parents. Tamotoyuri have already become extinct due to overfishing. Many other native lilies, including Yamayuri, have the same fate.

ヤマユリは遠くからでも直ぐに分かります。日本の自生種の花の中では最も大きく、華やかで、臭いがとても強いからです。この花を見るとなぜかヤマトタケルを連想します。それほど古く日本の至る所に自生しています。日本にやってきた外国人の目にも強烈に印象に残ったはずです。早くから海外に紹介され、カサブランカのようなハイブリッド種も誕生しました。その親になったのもヤマユリやタモトユリ、カノコユリです。乱獲によりタモトユリは絶滅しました。ヤマユリをはじめ、他の多くの自生種のユリも同じ運命にあります。