By Alex
While various flowers blossom in spring, don’t let your gaze be fixed solely on cherry blossoms. In Japan’s woodlands, there’s another flower that enters its peak blooming period in early spring. It boasts a fragrant aroma and is called Daphne odora, or yellow-flowered Daphne.
▲ Motosu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, Yakusen Mountain (photo by satolight_ @IG)
Daphne odora mainly grows on slopes, in valleys, under forests, and in shrubs, producing flowers before leaves. Its small, cylindrical blooms cluster into hemispherical shapes, somewhat resembling hydrangeas. They appear yellow to light yellow, and some say they look like a swarm of bees from afar, while others compare them to fireflies appearing on summer evenings. As such, when in bloom, they attract photography enthusiasts. Generally, Daphne odora flowers from late March to mid-April each year.
▲ (photo by ailes_5pht @Twitter)
For example, not far from Tokyo in Tochigi Prefecture, the vast patches of Daphne odora on Yakusen Mountain in Motosu Town have recently bloomed simultaneously. Some photographers described the mountain woodland as being carpeted with flowers. Coupled with sunlight filtering through the cedar trees and the chirping of birds, the entire valley “was filled with an atmosphere as if fairies might descend,” sparking the imagination.
▲ (photo by m_e_w_012 @Twitter)
Daphne odora has another distinctive feature: its branches usually fork into three. Therefore, it is also known as “Mitsuba” (meaning three-forked) in Japan. Additionally, its fibers are strong and resilient, making it one of the materials used in making washi paper and even Japanese yen banknotes. In the past, the National Printing Bureau, responsible for printing currency, would purchase cultivated Daphne odora from farmers across Japan. However, due to a significant decline in production in recent years, it now sources the plant from abroad.
▲ Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture (photo by midori_32_ @IG)
▲ Shiga Prefecture (photo by takeshi1129tt @IG)
▲ Tochigi Prefecture, Yakusen Mountain (photo by thenight_without.a.star @IG)
▲ Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden (photo by hamuhamu_roku @IG)
▲ Tochigi Prefecture, Keizokusan (photo by ma_im29 @IG)
▲ (photo by gumi_mogu_ @IG)
▲ Aichi Prefecture (photo by happykeephappy @IG)
▲ Mie Prefecture (photo by ailes_5pht @IG)
▲ Mie Prefecture, Hitotsugawa (photo by kosa_photo @IG)
Sources: Wikipedia, satolight_ @IG, ailes_5pht @IG