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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Floral Galaxy of Japanese primrose



“Kurin-so”, Japanese primrose, or Primula Japonica,  is a wild variety of primrose which is found blooming at wet mountain sides in Japan from late spring to early summer.


They require shady places and moist soil as their native habitat is moist woodlands.


After being dormant winter, the plants germinate in spring, develop rosette of light green oval-shaped leaves and bloom flowers. The leaves disappear and the plants become dormant in summer again to be spared for hardships of heat and drought.


Japanese primrose is called “Kurin-so/九輪草” in Japanese as their tiers of flowers on the stem look like “Kurin”, a part of Pagoda’s finial. 



To me, the flowers at the top of the stem look like a miniature floral bouquet on its own.


The flowers look like candelabra holding buds as candles, too.   When buds open, millions of light surround the place.


They also look like stars of shades of pink with their five petals.  Each flower looks cheerful and smiling.  When blooming gregariously, they make a terrestrial Galaxy as the small stars do in the sky.

The photos of this post were taken yesterday at Mt. Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden (六甲高山植物園) at an altitude of 865 meters near the peak of the Rokko Mountain Ranges behind Kobe city.  It was the first time for me to see so many of them all gathered together in one place at Mt. Rokko.

41 comments:

  1. I love these candelabra primulas. They are such pretty colours with their lovely strong stems to compliment them. I have tried to grow them in my garden but sadly it is too dry. They must have been a wonderful sight to see yesterday.

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  2. They are absolutely beautiful.
    So pretty and the lovliest of colours.
    Thanks for sharing your visit to the gardens with us.
    Have a happy Sunday


    Fiona x

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  3. Yes, really they look like 九輪, nine rings in the finial! The flowers with such a significant name are gracefully beautiful. The scenery full of pink carpets are awesome beyond words! Every time when I see your photos, I think next time I will take photos of flowers!!
    keiko

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  4. Candelabra primroses are wonderful in the wild; I have tried to grow them in the garden but I have no place which is shaded and damp enough. I have to make do with you displaying them in these beautiful pictures.

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  5. Oh, how I love May, with its explosion of colors and fragrances! For me this beautiful pink-lavender color of Japanese primrose along with the light green are the best to define this marvelous month of the year. In romanian we even have a saying describing its richness and beauty, "Mai e rai" which literally means "May is heaven".

    And since you were talking about resemblances, I would say they also look like small lavender narcissus bouquets.

    The pictures are wonderful, Yoko, especially the last one! They remind me of our alpine pastures which I expect to become just as beautiful, especially after the heavy rains we have these days.
    Have a beautiful Sunday!

    PS I just wish I knew so many things about plants and flowers as you do!...

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  6. This is an enchanted pathway through the flowers. I can imagine a bridal procession walking along the twist and turns of the wooden planks amid the tall and slender blooms. In numerology, by the way, I believe nine is considered to be the most spiritual of all numbers.

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  7. そういえば、九輪にそっくり。うまく名をつけたね。ピンクの様々な色合いが楽しいです。野生種なので桜草より可憐ですね。

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  8. These are very beautiful, growing in their groups. I like primroses, but I haven't seen this variety before. Thanks for posting about them!

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  9. I love the picture of the boardwalk threading its way amongst the flowers. Beautiful.

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  10. Widok takiej ilości pięknych pierwiosnków zapiera dech w piersiach. CUDNE. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
    View of a quantity of beautiful primroses breathtaking. Wonderful. Best regards.

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  11. It's a pink ocean! So beautiful and delicate! This time of the year is absolutely wonderful as most flowers are in full blossom! Lovely post, full of sunshine!

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  12. To walk there would put a smile on my face! The varying focus showcasing the Primula in your photos is wonderful.

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  13. That would be a grand sight to see in person...your photos are lovely enough in themselves to let one daydream!

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  14. I've never seen these flowers before - or maybe I just didn't notice them? - but they're lovely. They really DO look like kurin! ^^

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  15. 先日生駒のアイアイランドに行ったのですが、残念ながらクリンソウは見れませんでした。写真のような板張りの遊歩道があるんですよ。知っていると思いますが。クリンソウの生態はよく知らなかったです。
    こんなに群生しているんですね。
    私は春に咲く日本のサクラソウが大好きです。園芸店ではプリムラマラコイデス種しかなくて。クリンソウも家で育てるとなると難しいのかも・・ですね。

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  16. Your two comparisons seemed just perfect to me. I could really see those stars in a terrestrial galaxy and those candles in candelabras, sending their light to the surroundings. Your way of seeing nature is truly unique.

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  17. 可憐で野性味もある花ですね。この時期にしか見られない群生をナイスキャッチ!

    名前は聞いたことのあるもの、名の由来も実景もこのポストで知りました。どうもありがとう。

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  18. I walked the path, slowly slowly - and I enjoyed! :-)
    Domo Arigato Yoko San!

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  19. Hello, Yoko!
    I'm back from holidays!
    Your flowers are gorgeous! I like vibrant colors. So nice to see the beauty in your pictures!

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  20. Incredibly beautiful! Too beautiful to be true :) (this Japanese Primrose place)

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  21. What a lovely color to the landscape....especially along the sides of the wooden path. Thank you for sharing!

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  22. The primula we have here grow low to the ground. I have never seen this variety. They look so bright and cheerful. As always - your photographs are stunning.

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  23. What glorious primrose - you can't help but smile as they do lift up the spirits with their beauty.

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  24. Well, Yoko, you've done it again! You've managed to put together a post even more beautiful...And you commentary is so enlightening and interesting. To see a mountainside of these flowers must be a great thrill!

    Have you ever thought of doing a "coffee table" book of your photos? Perhaps you could take some samples to a publisher...I think it would sell!

    Thank you for the nice welcome back, although I'm only part-time...

    :-)

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  25. Beautiful photos, Yoko :)
    The primroses are amazing, what lovely shades of colours. They make me smile :) Thanks for sharing.

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  26. DeeBee L. – Thank you for the comment. I have tried to access to your blog, but it just keeps loading without result. I haven’t unable to see your blog for the past few weeks. I don’t know what to do with this, so please be patient till things get improved.

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  27. How beautiful they are.
    Love to see your wonderful shots of them.
    Thanks for sharing from this beautiful garden.
    Wish you a great weekend.
    Mette

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  28. Hello Yoko, they are so beautiful those primroses, I love their fine colours, like a delicate water colour. Your photos are exquisite.
    But they always are!

    Have a nice week-end!
    Grethe ´)

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  29. Oh, these are so beautiful, what an amazing place! To be able to walk through so many must have been a wonderful experience, thank you for sharing :)

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  30. こんばんは。山野草もお好きですか。私はトレッキングの時、何度かこの花に出会いました。

     サクラソウ科の花は可憐ですね。

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  31. These flowers are beautiful and in such an array of colours.The individual flowers and leaves look like those of European primroses so perhaps they belong to the same family.
    Apologies for recent absence of comments but I've been away from my blog for a couple of weeks.

    Enjoy your week,
    Ruby

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  32. Great pictures!
    Beautiful photography!
    Have a nice week!
    Yvonne & Raphael

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  33. 可憐で可愛い花がたくさん群れて咲く様子はどこか子供たちの遠足のようで愛らしいです。しきりに首をのばして遠くを見ているようですね。(*´∇`*)

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  34. dear Yoko, I was collecting the yellow european version like amonth ago...when one seperate the blossom from the green part one may enjoy them in a cupof deli tea! it has a bit of honey flavour:-))

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  35. 花と緑に包まれた歩道が素敵です。
    夢の様な景色です。

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  36. Jumping from one photo to the next in your post, I practically feel the smell and the joy of the summertime that has arrived.

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  37. Yoko-san,
    What a cute flowers. Love the different shades of pink and your photographs are just lovely..

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  38. Witaj, jaki piekny blog, fantastyczne zdjecia.Pozdrawiam i zApraszam na mojego bloga.
    你好,祝賀美麗的圖畫。歡迎來到我的博客,迎接:)))

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  39. AH this is beyond beautiful dear Friend !

    The carnation of glorious nature is smiling through your wonderful lenses and brightening my day!

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