Delphinium, a birthday flower of April 19th

Delphinium (デルフィニウム), also known in Japanese by its older native name Ōhien‑sō (大飛燕草), is a striking flower loved for its tall spires and cool, luminous colors. In Japan, the borrowed English name “derufiniumu” is now the most common, but the traditional name beautifully captures the image of a swallow in flight, echoing the flower’s elegant, wing‑like petals.

Delphiniums come in a wide range of shades; white, pink, lavender, deep purple, and especially the vivid sky‑blue tones that have made them a favorite in spring and early‑summer arrangements. In the Japanese language of flowers (Hanakotoba) delphiniums represent clarity, purity and serenity - seimei “清明”  in Japanese. In Western flower language, it carries meanings fo "big-hearted" and "fun". 

The word Delphinium comes from the Greek for dolphin, for the dolphin-shaped buds. It is the birthday flower of April 19th, but also March 23rd too. It typically blooms around May or June in Japan. I took the photo in this post in early May when it had just started blooming - it does grow much taller.