For 2022 calendar I picked up the flower pictures taken this year in various places in Japan from Hokkaido in the north to Yonaguni Island in the southmost in Japan to represent each month. Please click the words of "Click here for calendar display" to open the page. Also by clicking the photo you can see the enlarged image.

(Note: Abobe Acrobat Reader is required to download and open the image files for the whole year)

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Shooting data 1. Flower name / Family name ("Japanese name" and/or scientific name) 2. Shooting location 3. Commentary Tobishima licorice / Liliaceae (Hemerocallis dumortieri var. Exaltata) Onogame, Sado City, Niigata Prefecture This is a member of Nikko Kisuge, but it is taller. A large community is formed around Onogame, the tip of the Sotofu coast on Sado Island. There are only two places of natural habitat in Japan, here and Tobishima island, Yamagata Prefecture, where the name came from.

Jan.		Nun's-hood orchid / Orchidaceae ("Kakuchoran" Phaius tankervilleae) Iriomote Island, Taketomi Town, Okinawa Prefecture Iriomote Island is a treasure trove of wild orchids. Some orchids are seen throughout the year, and there are many endemic species. However, it is a pity that orchids growing in the central part of the island can no longer be seen due to theft and tourism overuse (regulations associated with the designation as a World Heritage Site). Click here for calendar display
Feb.		Hibiscus makinoi /　Malvaceae ("Sakishima Fuyoh) Iriomote Island, Taketomi Town, Okinawa Prefecture A cultivar hibiscus companion. An endemic species of Japan distributed from the southwestern part of Kyushu to the Nansei Islands. The same species of Confederate rose changes color from white to pink in a day, but this species is already tipsy from the beginning of bloom. Click here to display the calendar
Mar.		Fritillaria kaiensis / Liliaceae ("Kai-kobaimo") Hachioji-city, Tokyo It blooms quietly in the forest in early spring. Before the trees above them spread their leaves, they sprout and spread their leaves to be exposed to the sun for storing nutrients. It is a spring fairy that disappears from the ground like a erythronium when the trees spread their leaves. Click here to display the calendar
Apr.		Trumpet lily/Easter lily / Liliaceae ("Teppou yuri" Lilium longiflorum) Yonaguni island, Okinawa Prefecture The place of origin is the coastal area of the southern Kyushu and Nansei Islands. The stems are short and the leaves are thick to withstand the sea breeze. In the Meiji era, a cultivation boom occurred mainly on Okinoerabu island, and it was exported to Europe in large quantities. The name comes from the flower tube resembling the muzzle of a trumpet gun. Click here to display the calendar
May		Cypripedium japonicum　/ Orchidaceae ("Kumagai-sou") Nishi-katsura Town, Yamanashi Prefecture The swollen petals (labellums) are likened to the protection blanket from the arrow at the ancient war. In the story of "Heike" the warrior Kumagai wore this blanket, so the plant was named. Kumagai was in the Genji's site and killed the counterpart Atsumori Taira of the Heike family. There is another flower named from Atsumori "Atsumori-sou" (Cypripedium macranthos var. speciosumpei) Both are now on the verge of extinction due to plant robbery. Click here to display the calendar
Jun.		Polygala reinii　/ Polygalaceae ("Kakinoha-gusa") Mt. Hourai, Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture The Japanese name comes from the leaf's shape as the leaves resemble that of persimmon("Kaki"). At first glance, its flower looks like a bush clove. The petals are orange parts at the tip and the cream-colored part of the base is the calyx. It contains saponin used for Chinese medicine. Click here to display the calendar
Jul.		Nuphar pumila var. ozeensis f. rubro-ovaria /Nymphaeaceae ("Uryu Kouhone") Uryu wetland, Uryu Town, Hokkaido An endemic species of Uryu-numa Marsh where is called Northern Oze. The stigma is dark red. It is a variety of "Ozekouhone", but the color of the stigma is not bright and the color of the ovary is reddish brown (the ovary of "Ozekouhone" is green). Click here to display the calendar
Aug.		Silene hidaka-alpina　/ Caryophyllaceae ("Kamui biranji") Mt. Petekari, Shin-hidaka Town, Hokkaido A rare species comparable to blue poppies. Roots to cling to the crevices and ledges of granite rocks on the ridges of the Hidaka Mountains. It is a pretty flower with a stem height of 5 cm to 10 cm and a diameter of 1 cm, but it has survived from the ice age by relying on the heat contained in the rock. Click here to display the calendar
Sep.		Pseudolysimachion ornatum / Plantaginaceae ("Toutei-ran") NishinoshimaTown, Shimane Prefecture A well-established endemic species of Japan named after Lake Dongting, a famous lake in China. The blue of the flower may remind ancient people of the water color of Lake Dongting. It grows naturally on the cliffs where rocks are exposed on the Sea of Japan side from the San'in region to Kyushu. Click here to display the calendar
Oct.		Seashore spatulate aster　/ Asteraceae ("Daruma kiku" Aster spathulifolius) NishinoshimaTown, Shimane Prefecture It grows naturally on rocky coastal areas from Sanin to Kyushu. Not only the flowers but also the leaves are wide and round. Since the dolls that imitate the Bodhidharma are round, the round ones are often named Dharma. There is a whiskey called "Dharma" as a nickname. Click here to display the calendar
Nov.		Allium virgunculae　/ Amaryllidaceae ("Ito-rakkyo") Mt. Sashi, Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture An endemic species of Hirado Island that has become a World Heritage Site in the remains of the church. It grows in clusters around exposed andesite. There are no leaves, and a transparent flower of white to light purple is attached to the tip of the flower stalk that grows about 5 to 10 cm. Previously it was a lily family, but changed to Amaryllidaceae. Click here to display the calendar
Dec.		Japanese Stonecrop　/ Crassulaceae ("Misebaya" Hylotelephium sieboldii) Tokyo Metropolitan Medicinal Botanical Garden, Kodaira City, Tokyo It is resistant to dryness and cold. It is lined up in stores as a cultivar. However, there are only two places of origin, Shodoshima Island and Totsukawa region. Although it can be easily reproduce with thorns, plant robbery is constant and it is on the verge of extinction. On Shodoshima, I only saw two flowers on a rock that was out of reach. Click here to display the calendar
Back cover		Lilium maculatum　/ Liliaceae ("Yama Sukashi Yuri") Maki Cannion, Daisen City, Akita Prefecture On the northern coast of the Sea of Japan another form of Lilium maculatum "Iwayuri" grows, but this species differentiated from it and grows up in the mountains. The leaves are thinner and longer than the coastal form. The Japanese name comes from the petals being separated and creating a gap ("Sukashi" in Japanese).
Whole Year	Click here to display the all calendar

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