Blossoms before cherry blossoms (1)

Every year, the Japanese wait impatiently for the arrival of the cherry blossom season. This year, it is forecast that, in Tokyo, cherry trees will start to bloom on 30 March and will be at their best on 7 April. After that they will be all gone in a few days.

Some Japanese seem so preoccupied with cherry blossoms that they are unable to notice the existence of other blossoms that come to bloom a little earlier than cherry blossoms.

I would like to introduce some of them.

If one enjoys watching the nature, he or she will notice two species of trees full of tiny yellow blossoms in parks, gardens, roadsides, and temple/shrine grounds.

One is "mansaku", Hamamelis japonica, vernacular name in English is "Japanese witch hazel". I heard that the witch hazel, or Hamamelis verginiana, from North America comes to bloom in autumn, not in spring like "mansaku".

[mansaku, Hamamelis japonica]

The other is "sanshuyu", Cornus officinalis, or Japanese cornel dogwood. I feel bad to the Chinese and the Koreans about this species being called the "Japanese cornel dogwood " because it originates in China and Korea and was only introduced to Japan in the Edo Period for medicinal uses.


[sansyuyu, Cornus officinalis]