Ajisai
Pink colored ajisai in Japan during June
It is said that every season of Japan has it's flower. Ajisai, the hydrangea (or hortensia) in Japan flourishes during the humid months of June. As it's name suggests, hydrangea needs a lot of water, and lives mostly in wet soil.
There are various of colors of hydrangea. The color varies accoring to the minerals in the soil. Alkaline soils causes the color of the plant to be pink or purple. Aluminium is often known to produce blue colored ajisai.
The leaves around the flower are not petals but actually calyxes. The core of the flower is the small bud in the center.
Ajisai has marked itself as the true Japanese flower of rainy season.
Although ajisai is beautiful, it is known to be poisonous. In Korea, some ajisai is processed to make delicious tea.
