Is your birthday flower the thistle?

There are two flowers for people born on October 21st. They are Sternbergia and the thistle. In this post we will look at the thistle, called azami in Japanese. The thistle is also the birth flower of March 19th, April 19th and September 18th. However, in Japan, the thistle actually blooms in summer and not on any of the days it is the birthday flower for! 

The thistle is found in many countries around the world. It is often associated with Scotland as it is the flower of Scotland and because of a Scottish legend that the 'thistle saved Scotland' from the Norwegian army in 1263. The thistle features in lore of many countries including Greek and Norse mythology and also in Christianity.

The Cirsium japonicum, also known as the Japanese Thistle, is native to Japan, as well as other countries in Asia. The "hanakotoba" (flower language) is "independence", "retaliation", "strictness" and "don't touch". The latter no doubt for the thorns. The thorns are also the reason behind the Japanese name for thistle, azami, which comes from the old word "azamu" which means "surprised". Because that when you break off the flower you will be "surprised" by the thorns.

Is the thistle your birthday flower? The photo in this post is of an Artichoke Thistle, taken in June in Ageo City, Saitama.