Why Does "Sakuraran" Mean
Neither Cherry Nor Orchid?
Its Japanese name combines "cherry blossom" and "orchid" — despite being neither. A bitter herb is eaten at Passover to recall the taste of slavery.
Sorted by what makes them memorable, twelve more plants fall into three groups.
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Three Kinds of Plant Facts, Round Two
Ayatoki's Plants genre has more words than any other category — everything from common roadside weeds to endangered species and imported herbs. Sorting twelve more of them by what makes each one stick turns up three groups: names that mislead or poeticize, plants tied to a specific culture, and plants with a genuine botanical quirk.
Names That Mislead or Poeticize
01
Sakuraran
A vine in the dogbane family, scientific name Hoya carnosa. Its Japanese name combines the words for "cherry blossom" (sakura) and "orchid" (ran) — even though it's neither. What it actually offers are thick, glossy leaves and star-shaped flowers that bloom in dense, pom-pom-like clusters from June through October.
02
Akamanma
A common Japanese name for the smartweed Persicaria longiseta. It literally means "red rice" — a nod to how its red flowers and buds resemble a bowl of sekihan, the celebratory red rice dish. You'll find it growing wild along roadsides and in vacant lots almost anywhere in Japan.
03
Yourakusou
A small white flower found on forest floors in mountainous areas. Its drooping, downward-facing blossoms so closely resemble a Buddhist ceremonial ornament called a yōraku that the flower was named directly after it.
04
Akisango ("Autumn Coral")
Once its leaves fall in autumn, this plant is left covered in vivid red berries that look strikingly like coral — and they stay right there decorating the bare branches all the way through winter.
05
Megarukaya
A perennial grass that grows on sunny riverbanks and embankments. It's a type of kaya, a traditional material used for thatched roofs. Its name pairs it with a related species, ogarukaya — the "me" in its name means "female," as opposed to the "male" ogaru.
Tied to a Specific Culture
06
Suizenji-na
A leaf vegetable cultivated for generations around the Suizenji district of Kumamoto, known for its distinctive purple stems and thick leaves. Blanch the leaves briefly and they turn a striking shade of purple.
07
Maror
A general term for the bitter herbs eaten during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The Hebrew word means "bitter," and eating it is meant to recall the suffering of slavery.
08
Bententsuge
An evergreen shrub cultivated as a garden and bonsai plant since the Edo period. It's remarkably tough and keeps thriving even after heavy pruning — earning it a reputation among beginner gardeners as a plant that's nearly impossible to kill.
A Genuine Botanical Quirk
09
Tangelo
A citrus hybrid created by crossing a tangerine with a grapefruit. It inherits a balance of sweetness and refreshing tartness from both parents, and its peel is loose enough to make eating it by hand easy.
10
Helleborus
Known in Japan as the "Christmas rose," this perennial in the buttercup family has petal-like structures that are actually sepals — which is why the "flower" stays beautiful for months rather than wilting quickly.
11
Neuter Flower
A flower with both stamens and pistils reduced or absent, unable to produce seeds. The showy outer "petals" that ring a hydrangea bloom, or the ray florets around a sunflower's center, are actually neuter flowers doing the work of attracting pollinators.
12
Yashio Azalea
A collective name for three azalea species: akayashio, shiroyashio, and murasakiyashio. Unusually, their flowers open at the branch tips before the leaves have even emerged, typically from May to June, in wild mountain settings.
Once You Know the Name, the View Changes
Even the weed you walk past every day has a name and a story behind it. Ayatoki's Plants genre shows a short trivia fact like these every time you solve a word.
💡 The Plants genre has more words than any other category, ranging from wildflowers with hard-to-read kanji to imported herbs from around the world.