Japan is a beautiful country with a wide array of beautiful flowers. These wonderful flowering plants bloom in different seasons and are great attractions to tourists and locals.
Nowadays, plenty of foreign flowers have been introduced to Japan. Still, attractive blooms are also considered endemic to this beautiful country.
Best Japanese Flowers Here are the top Japonica flowers from the world of flowers ; some of them are endemic to Japan and others can also be seen in Japan.
Flower Type: Annuals/Perennials
Adonis ramose is an herbaceous Japanese plant with a height of 15-40 cm. It is a native flower in Japan. They are commonly used for groundcover, understory, or border. Amur Adonis is planted for good luck.
Flower Type: Perennials
With around 200 species, Anemone is a flower that belongs to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). The Anemone flower comes in various colors: red, green, yellow, purple, blue, pink, and white. This little flower is native to Japan but can be found in most European countries and the United States.
Flower Type: Perennials
Commonly known as the blue balloon flower, Japanese snowdrop, Chinese snowdrop, Chinese bellflower, and Korean snowdrop, the Balloon Flower is a flowering perennial in the Campanulaceae family, including lobelia and wood hyacinth, and is the only member of the genus Platycodon.
Flower Type: Shrubs
The beach rose is a deciduous Japanese shrub with a multi-stem. It is native to Japan and is widely used as an ornamental plant. The beautiful beach rose is pollinated by insects and birds. Rosa rugosa is a strong symbol of Love and adoration.
Flower Type: Perennials
Iris sanguinea is a rhizomatous angiosperm that can grow to a height of 0.5 to 1 meter and a spread of 0.1-0.5 meters. The Iris flower signifies wisdom, hope, trust, and courage. The Iris flower is considered the flower for the 25th wedding anniversary.
Flower Type: Perennials
The creeping lettuce is a flowering plant of the Asteraceae family. It is a widespread species in Japan. Being perennial, this plant grows to 0.2 meters by 0.5 meters. Ixeris stolonifera prefers moist soil and grows well in semi-shade or no shade.
Flower Type: Perennials
Dead Nettle is among the most famous wild herbaceous plants and is known for its sweet flowers. Originally, The Dead nettle is a perennial grass of 30-50 cm in height. It is native to Europe, China, Korea, and Japan. The most popular variety of dead Nettle has white flowers, but those with reddish and yellowish flowers.
Flower Type: Perennials
Amana edulis (formerly Tulipa edulis) is a bulb-forming perennial with a flower that resembles a tulip. The Amana edulis plant is about 15 cm. It is native to Japan.
Kerria japonica, also known as Japan rose or Japanese kerria, is a small ornamental shrub in the Rosaceae family native to Korea, Japan, and China. The flowers are a brilliant golden yellow with 5 petals, similar to the old-fashioned rose.
Flower Type: Shrubs/Trees
Japanese Andromeda is a plant native to Japan that can grow up to 1.5 to 4 m. It is a slow-growing shrub or tree under Ericaceae. The flowers are showy, and flower buds are bead-like in white. Some cultivars include a pink and deep rose.
Flower Type: Shrubs
Bigleaf Hydrangea is a deciduous shrub native to Japan that can grow to 7 ft tall. The flowers of the lacecup Hydrangea are attractive large mophead, making it a popular landscape Japanese plant.
Flower Type: Shrubs/Trees
While many flowering shrubs (Camellia japonica) peak in Summer, the Camellia flower is endemic to Japan and it is unique because it mainly blooms in early spring and late winter. There are nearly 300 species of Camellia, the color of which includes white, pink, and red.
Flower Type: Perennials
Paris japonica is a slow-growing perennial plant native to Japan with a height of 6-12 inches. Japanese Canopy plants have white and showy flowers in a pedicel. The flowers are star-shaped with 10 tepals.
Flower Type: Trees
Cherry blossom (Japanese national flower) is a medium-sized tree that can grow to 15-25 feet. The spread is 4-8 meters. The tree is short-lived (15-20 years). It is native to Korea, China, and Japan. Cherry blossom signifies good luck, Love, and femininity.
Flower Type: Perennials
Chrysanthemum indicum is a perennial Japanese herb that can grow to 1-3 feet at maturity. Indian Chrysanthemum has over 10,000 varieties. The flowers are single and intensely fragrant. Chrysanthemum indicum is approved by NASA as a houseplant that can reduce air pollution.
Flower Type: Perennials
Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is sinuous and fragrant forest anesthesia. Flowering occurs from late spring to early summer, when conspicuous, tubular, fragrant, whitish-pink blooms develop in the leaf axils. As they age, the flowers turn creamy yellow.
Flower Type: Perennials
Iris japonica is a rhizomatous plant with a height of 0.75 to 1 foot and a spread of 1 to 1.5 feet that can grow in forest margins and wet grasslands. The Japanese Iris is named after the Greek goddess "Iris" because of its beauty. The name Iris also means rainbow.
Flower Type: Annuals
Japanese morning glory is a climber plant with 5 meters. It has been a widely cultivated ornamental garden plant. In addition, growing Ipomoea nil is part of the curriculum of Japanese elementary students.
Flower Type: Shrubs/Trees
Japanese Orange Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub or tree that produces clusters of flowers with a powerful apricot fragrance. The flowers of the Japanese Osmanthus are tiny in axillary clusters and signify truth and a noble person in Japan.
Flower Type: Trees
Japanese Primrose is called sakurasou in Japan because it resembles Sakura, the flowering cherry tree. The leaves of the Japanese Primrose possess a rosette arrangement. The hairy petiole measures 1.4-4.7 inches in length. It signifies first Love, youthful Love, and longing in Japan.
Flower Type: Trees
Trichosanthes is a perennial vine native to Japan. These thread-like flowers are aromatic and bloom from summer to early fall. The Trichosanthes cucumerina tangled with other plants or trees.
Flower Type: Trees
The Japanese Snowbell is a deciduous tree that can grow to 15-25 feet. The leaves of Styrax japonica are alternate and simple. They are broad-elliptic to elliptic-oblong. These leaves are medium to dark green with a measurement of 2.5-9 cm. long and 1.3 -4 cm wide.
Flower Type: Annuals
The Matsumoto aster (aka Japanese Aster), part of the Chinese aster series, is native to East Asia and is a much sought-after and admired flower. The Matsumoto aster flaunts its always yellow inner flowers by surrounding them with red, purple, lavender, pink, or white flowers, to name a few.
Flower Type: Perennials
Peony is a Japanese easy-care flowering plant in the genus Paeonia of the Paeoniaceae family. The genus consists of approximately 32 species of wild peonies primarily native to Europe, Asia, and western North America. The flowers range in color from pink and purple to red, yellow, or white. The flowers bloom from late spring to early summer.
Flower Type: Trees
Plum blossom is a deciduous, rounded tree from Japan with great ornamental value. It can grow from 4 to 10 meters in height. The ume flower in pale pink or white blossoms signifies faithfulness, purity of heart, and classiness.
Flower Type: Trees
The quince (Cydonia oblonga) is the only member of the genus Cydonia in the Rosaceae family (including pears and apples). These Japanese trees have been cultivated by landscape architects for their showy pale pink flowers and other ornamental features.
Flower Type: Perennials
Ranunculus japonicas is a perennial herb of the family Ranunculaceae. It is a wild grass native to Japan. Ranunculus flowers add beauty and vibrancy to any garden. These perennial herbaceous plants, best known for their fragile rose-shaped petals, produce long-lasting cut flowers.
Flower Type: Shrubs
Camellia sasanqua is a shrub that can grow to 60 cm-3.6 m. It is a beautiful Japanese plant with a pleasing fragrance. The flowers of the sasanqua are primarily single or semi-double. Therefore, their bloom is not as large as those of Camellia japonica.
Flower Type: Shrubs/Trees
Native to Japan, Star Magnolia is a small tree that can grow to 5 to 8 feet and spread 15 ft in maturity. Star Magnolia grows well in full sun and partial shade.
Flower Type: Perennials
Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a great statement plant in the shade garden. In spring, the plants are covered with white flowers, and the foliage gives off a sweet smell of hay. Sweet woodruff is a carpet-forming perennial most commonly cultivated as a groundcover in shady areas. There are over 600 species of flowering plants in the Galium genus.
Flower Type: Perennials
Tiger Lily is a perennial Japanese bulb plant that can grow 60 cm to 150 cm. in height. It is a prolific flower that gives the appearance of the tiger's skin. This is an excellent border plant. The Tiger Lily flower is associated with wealth and pride,
Flower Type: Perennials
Tricyrtis affinis is a perennial Japanese plant of the Liliaceae. This species is endemic to Japan and can grow to a height of 30-60 cm. The flowers of Tricyrtis affinis are white with purple spots. The flowers have six free tepals in two whorls. Tricyrtis is a symbol of fertility.
Flower Type: Shrubs
The Viburnum (aka snowball) is an old-fashioned shrub known for its many beautiful clusters of white snowball-shaped flowers. You can easily accommodate your desires as 7 different viburnum shrubs are called snowball bushes including Japanese viburnum.
Flower Type: Perennials
The Japanese Wisteria is a beautiful, deciduous climber with a height of 10 to 30 feet and a spread of 10-20 feet. It is native to temperate Asia, Japan. This perennial plant has a life span of 50 to 100 years or even longer.
Japan has various beautiful flowers that can be appreciated in different seasons. These Japanese blooms have a very high significance in their culture. Beyond each species is a symbolism of life.
These flowers are used by the Japanese as a form of unspoken communication. It plays an essential role in Japanese art, literature, and everyday living. Aside from the beauty that the flowers give to the eyesight, they invoke powerful emotions.
There is no doubt that Japan is one of the countries famous for its flowers. That is why so many tourists try to visit Japan to see them. However, there is no more fantastic experience than sitting down and admiring nature’s natural beauty.