In Shintoism, there is a deity (“Youth of
the Haze on the Spring Mountain”) who has
his mother weave him a suit of armor and bows
and arrows, all from wisteria vine, to impress
his beloved. Miraculously, when he appears
at her home, his armor blooms and wins her
heart. Wisteria has been frequently depicted in
Japanese paintings and prints over the centuries
and is mentioned in classic Japanese literature,
including Murasaki Shikibu’s “The Tale of Genji,”
which may be the world’s first novel. Chapter 33
of the book is entitled “Wisteria Leaves.” Here’s
an excerpt:
“There is much to be said for cherry blossoms,
but they seem so flighty. They are so quick to
run off and leave you. And then, just when your
regrets are the strongest, the wisteria comes into
bloom, and it blooms on into the summer. There
is nothing quite like it. Even the color is somehow
companionable and inviting.” m
TAXONOMIC TRIVIA:
Plants With Japanese Genus Names
Akebia: Latinized from Japanese plant name,
akebi.
Aucuba: Latinized Japanese, from aokiba or
aokoba (ao green + ki, ko tree + ba leaf).
Fatsia: The name fatsi is an approximation of the
old Japanese word for “eight” (hachi in modern
romanization), referring to the plant’s eight leaf
lobes. In Japan, it is known as yatsude, meaning
“eight fingers.”
Hakonechloa: A blend of Japanese (Hakone,
from the hot springs region of Mount Hakone,
in Honshu) and Greek (chloa, meaning green
shoots, grass, verdure).
Kirengeshoma: ki yellow + renge lotus flower
+ shoma hat.
Nandina: Latinized from nanten, the Japanese
word for heavenly bamboo, which also means
“southern sky.”
Neoshirakia: Monotypic genus in the
Euphorbiaceae, named for Dr. T. Shiraki,
a Japanese economic entomologist.
Sasa: Japanese term for certain dwarf bamboos.
Shibataea kumasasa: Zigzag form of bamboo
named for Keita Shibata, Japanese botanist,
1878–1949. Species name = kuma bear + sasa
dwarf form of bamboo.
Tanakea: Plant in Saxifragaceae named for
Yoshio Tanaka (1836–1916), Japanese botanist
and entomologist and co-author of “Useful
Plants of Japan.”
Tsuga: Japanese vernacular name for hemlock
cedar.
Sources: “Garden Shrubs and Their Histories,” by Alice Coats (1992); “The Names of Plants,” by
David Gledhill (2008); “Etymological Dictionary of Grasses,” by Harold Clifford and Peter
Bostock (2007); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; Wikipedia.
Rebecca Alexander is the manager of Reference and Technical Services at the Miller Library, located in
the UW Botanic Gardens’ Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle). She is also a
contributing editor to the “Bulletin.”
24 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin