Strolling Log: "Amur Adonis"

👩 Dear, I took a picture of an Amur Adonis on my smartphone.

👨 Let me see. That's a good shot. Send it to my phone.

👩 Sure thing.

👨 We don't need Miss Google's help this time.

👩 Just ask her, just in case.

👨 Hey, Miss Google.

👧 Did you call for me?

👨 Please explain this Amur Adonis to me.

Explanation of the Amur Adonis in your photo

The yellow flower in your photo is an **Amur Adonis (Fukujuso)**, a member of the Ranunculaceae family.

In conclusion, it is highly likely that this specimen is a "wild species (native species)" strain that grows naturally in Japan, or a "common garden variety" based on one. I have summarized the key points and characteristics for identification below.

1. Determining the type: Common Amur Adonis (such as Adonis ramosa) Most of what you see in parks and gardens in the Kanto region today are the "Adonis ramosa" species or their selectively bred garden varieties.

Characteristics: Finely divided, carrot-like leaves unfold at the same time as or shortly after the flowers bloom.

State of the photo: Fluffy green leaves are clearly visible at the base of the flowers.

This is a characteristic often seen in Adonis ramosa (or its related garden strains).

Differences from garden varieties: The term "garden variety" can have two main meanings. Common seedlings: Standard yellow Amur Adonis sold at home improvement stores. Special cultivars: Large-flowered, orange (Chichibu-beni), or double-flowered varieties with names like "Fukujukai."

The one in your photo is a very healthy, standard, single-flowered yellow Amur Adonis.

Rather than being a special mutant variety with a cultivar name, it has the appearance of the "ordinary Adonis ramosa" that has been beloved for a long time.

2. Observation points: Wild species or garden variety?

When planted in a park, it is often one of the following:
Cultivated for gardening: This is the most common.
The flowers are large and groomed to bloom in clusters.
Protected in a state close to the wild: If the park is a place that utilizes old coppice forests, there is a possibility that the wild lineage native to Japan since ancient times remains as it is.

3. Trivia about Adonis ramosa. Other names: Also called "New Year's Grass," it is a lucky flower that heralds spring and "invites good fortune."

Sensitive to light and temperature: When sunlight hits the Adonis ramosa, it spreads its petals like a parabolic antenna to collect heat in the center.
Since it is wide open in your photo, it suggests that it was warm and sunny when you took the picture.

Caution: Although it is very beautiful, it has **toxicity (such as cymarin)**, so be careful not to break it with your bare hands or accidentally put it in your mouth.

Summary

The individual in the photo is thought to be of the **"Adonis ramosa" lineage among the Adonis species.

It is not a special improved variety (such as double-flowered or multi-colored), but has the most standard and beautiful appearance** that we imagine when we think of "this is Adonis ramosa."

👧 This was a guide by botanist Junichiro Sakata's
granddaughter, "Chiyo Sakata."

👩 I see, I learned something new.
"It might be 'Adonis ramosa',"
"but there is no doubt it is an Adonis ramosa."
"Well then, as always,"
"please write an essay"
"about the Adonis ramosa."

Golden Lanterns Heralding Spring

The sky is thinly covered with clouds, and a soft gray veil wraps the world.
A slightly chilly afternoon that seems to regret the lingering remnants of winter.
In that overcast scenery, I found a "light" emitting a vivid brilliance.
Adonis ramosa.
The flower, blooming by stretching its neck as much as it can from between withered leaves and dry soil, looks like a fragment of the sun that has fallen to the ground.
Or perhaps it is like a candle someone lit quietly in the cold air.
I have heard that Adonis ramosa uses its parabolic antenna-like shape to efficiently collect sunlight and uses that heat to attract insects.
The reason they look so dazzling even under a cloudy sky is not just because they are beautiful.
It is likely because the "will" to desperately nurture light and life with their small bodies is overflowing.
The wish for happiness and longevity contained in the name "Fukujuso" (Adonis ramosa). As I gaze at those golden petals, I realize that spring does not come from afar, but rather wells up from the ground beneath our feet that has endured the harsh winter.
Flowers that bloom in the midst of a gorgeous spring are beautiful, but the courage of the Adonis ramosa, which is the first to light a lamp in a landscape where the cold still remains.
In that earnest brilliance, I felt as if a small, warm fire had been lit in my own heart.

Spring in earnest will be here soon. This golden lantern was a sure signpost to the next season.

👧 Essay by botanist and zoologist
Junichiro Sakata's granddaughter, "Chiyo Sakata"

👩 As expected

End