Following on from last year (2023), I visited Yunnan Province and Tibet in China from late June to July to explore the blue poppy corridor. In addition, in spring, I explored the Fritillaria genus in the Chugoku Mountains in Japan. In August, I ascended Mt. Warusawa of the Japan South Alps, the 99th of the 100 famous mountains in Japan, and enjoyed the high-altitude flowers.
I created a flower calendar with flowers photographed in various places.
Below is a sample. Click on the image to enlarge and enjoy it.

cover		Photo data 1. Flower name　(Scientific name or English name)　 2. Family name 3. Location 4. Explanation
		Cypripedium flavum P.F.Hunt & Summerh. Orchidaceae Tianbaoshan, Shangri-La, Yunnan, China It prefers wet and cold climates and sometimes forms colonies. It is about 40-60cm tall and has a yellow lip petal shaped like a wooden shoe. The specific name flavum means yellow in Latin.

January		Ponerorchis crenulata Soó Orchidacea Balagezong, Xianglila, Yunnan, China A member of the Butterfly Orchid family. It is named after the fact that the lateral sepals are widely open like butterfly wings. There are dark reddish purple markings on the lip. The specific name crenulate means rounded teeth at the tip, and the petals have rounded tips. An endemic species of Yunnan.
February		Fritillaria ayakoana Maruy. & Naruh. Liliaceae Kawamoto-cho, Shimane Prefecture, Japan Fritillaria is endemic to Japan, and there are seven species, excluding natural hybrids. Six of these are designated as endangered species. This species was discovered in the western part of Shimane Prefecture, and its scientific name was given to it by the husband who helped discover it. Its natural habitat is protected by local people.
March		Edgeworthia chrysantha Lindl. Thymelaeaceae Onshi-yama, Nanbu-cho, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan It is called "Mitsumata" (meaning three divide) in Japanes because the peduncle is divided into three. It is used as a raw material for paper along with paper mulberry. It was mass-produced for printing banknotes in the Meiji period, but due to a decrease in producers, it was abandoned and has now become natural. I came across it by chance when I got lost in the mountains in south of Yamanashi Pref near Mt. Fuji in early spring.
April		Primula modesta var. samanimontana Nakai Primulaceae Mt. Apoi, Samani Town, Hokkaido, Japan A variant of the snow-breaking primula of the Primulaceae family. A close relative is the Rebunkozakura of Rebun Island. It is an endemic species found only in the rocky areas of Mt. Apoi. On the other hand, there is another flower called "snow-breaking flower" which is Hepatica of Ranunculaceae family and blooms in abundance in the lower mountains on the Japan Sea side.
May		Theligonum japonica Okubo et Makino Rubiaceae Mt. Kongo, Chihayaakasaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan This is the second Japanese flower to be given the scientific name by Makino Tomitaro and others following Ranzania. It is a strange flower, with flowering leaves arranged opposite each other, but the other leaves arranged alternately. There is only one perianth, and when the male flower matures, the perianth turns over, and then when the stamens sway in the wind, they scatter pollen. The female flower is located at the bottom of the same plant, but is barely noticeable.
June		Rhododendron delavayi Franch. Ericaceae Cangshan, Yangbi Xian, Yunnan Province, China Yunnan Province is a treasure trove of rhododendrons. It is said that there are several hundred species. In Chinese, it is called "Du Jian Hua" meaning Cuckoo Flower. This is because there are spots deep inside the petals that resemble the pattern on the chest of the lesser cuckoo bird. Because it is resistant to dryness, it was brought to Europe and the United States by ship. It decorates gardens all over Europe, including the UK and US.
July		Meconopsis uniflora Tosh.Yoshida, B.Xu & Boufford Papaveraceae Pujin Langba, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China This species grows in a scree field at an altitude of nearly 5,000m. The temperature difference between day and night is large, and it is extremely dry, just like the surface of Mars. It can survive in such a harsh environment because the bristles on its leaves and stems absorb waterdrop from the morning fog and moisture, and send it to its roots.
August		Meconopsis speciosa subsp. cawdoriana Grey-Wilson Papaveraceae Sejila Mountain, Linzhi City, Tibet Autonomous Region, China It grows well in the moist air coming up from the Bay of Bengal, and produces clear, sky-blue flowers with many flower stalks rising from the roots. On the other hand, the same species (refernce species) in Yunnan grows in a raceme with flower stalks emerging from the middle of the stem, and because it grows on rocky ground, the spines on the leaves are sharp.
September		Gentiana gelida M.Bieb. Gentianaceae Mt. Arakawa-dake, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan The roots of the gentian are more bitter than bear gall, so the Japanese name "Rindou" which means "dragon gall," because the dragon is stronger than bear. The root of Gentiana has been used as a stomach medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. Confucius, who said "good medicine tastes bitter," may have taken this medicine for stress-related stomach problems, when his advice to local kings was not accepted.
October		Scabiosa japonica var. alpina Takeda Dipsacaceae Mt. Warusawa-dake, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan The reference species of Scabiosa japonica blooms on low mountains, but it is difficult to distinguish it from the alpine species. The alpine species is short, but the flowers are large and the sepals are densely packed. This is because there are fewer insects to carry pollen in high mountains, so the flowers have evolved to be more noticeable.
November		Lagerstroemia subcostata var. subcostata Lythraceae Makino Botanical Garden, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan The bark peels off easily, and the trunk is so smooth that even monkeys slip off it, so it is called "Sarusuberi" in Japanese meaning "Saru" is for monkey and "uberi" for slip. It also has another name, "Hyakujitsu Kou" in Japanese meaning "Hyakujitsu" for hundred days and "Kou" for red, because the flowers are blooming for over 100 days. It is planted on roadsides and other places because it blooms even in the heat of summer. This species is a variant of this tree and grows wild south of Yakushima island.
December		Hylotelephium tsugaruense (H.Hara) H.Ohba Crassulaceae Mt. Shirakami (World Heritage), Fukaura-machi, Aomori Prefecture, Japan A member of endangered Hylotelephium ("Misebaya" in Japanese). While other Misebaya species have red flowers, this species is the only one that has white flowers. They bloom hanging down from rocks. The name comes from a monk from Mount Koya (also World Heritage) who wrote to an aristocrat in the capital saying that he wanted to show ("Miseba-ya" in Japanese) the flower.
Back cover		Lilium souliei (Franch.) Sealy Liliaceae Mt. Kongque Shan Pass, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China It resembles Fritillaria camschatcensis, but is is a member of the lily genus. The roots are edible.

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2024.11.17 upload
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