One of the things I enjoy about the monthly Monitoring Site 1000 surveys is watching the plants through their lifecycles. Some of them change radically from season to season and others are clearly the same plant with a flower, then a seed or withered leaves.
Today I snapped photos of three plants that don’t look alike at all – until they flower in autumn with a burst of showy pink-red with black seeds:
ゴンズイ (Gonzui) Euscaphis japonica, is a small deciduous tree belonging to the bladdernut family. It doesn’t have an English name as it’s not found outside Japan and surrounding countries.
クサギ (Kusagi) Clerodendrum trichotomum, is called harlequin glorybower or peanut butter tree in English. It’s sort of a weed tree that grows quickly and does indeed smell like peanut butter, which Japanese people think stinks.
タンキリマメ (Tankiri-mame) Rhynchosia volubilis, is a perennial vine in the bean family. It’s another one without an English name. The red bean pods pods split open to reveal the shiny black beans inside.
Speaking of beans, we stopped short when we saw this purple bean, ノササゲ (Nosasage) Dumasia truncata, which will open dramatically to reveal its own dark beans inside.
And there were two lovely little white flowers that I hadn’t seen before. My photos don’t do them justice.
キッコウハグマ（Kikkohaguma) Ainsliaea apiculata is a tiny 1 cm flower with curved petals. Actually, each circular flower has three florets fused together and each one splits into five petals. Once we spotted one, there were dozens to see.
コウヤボウキ (Koyabouki) Pertya scandens is named after a famous mountain and a broom made with this plant’s stems. It blooms only on new growth. We found a small patch and I hope to see it again next year. Like the Kikkohaguma, it’s a member of the aster/daisy family.
And I didn’t get a photo, but we found アブラススキ(Aburasusuki) Spodiopogon cotulifer or the oily silvergrass, a type of what I’d call “pampas grass” in the US. It is a little greasy to the touch like it’s covered in lanolin. Feels great on the skin.
Not everything is delightful on these survey walks. Towards the end of our route, we smelled the fetid stink of a large dead thing. The forest obscured what it might have been, but it wafted through maybe ten paces. A wild boar? Deer?There were many small paths leading into the forest there, so it may have been a feast for a horde of beasts.
We’ll be back out next month for another survey. I wonder what we’ll see (and smell) next time?
