Is Flowering Kale your birthday flower?

For each date of the year there is at least one "birthday flower". If you were born on December 4th, there are two different flowers for your birthday. One of them is "Flowering Kale". Flowering Kale is also the birthday flower of November 27th and December 30th. Flowering Kale is also called ornamental kale or ornamental cabbage. It is so named because, as you can see in the photo, the flowers look like cabbage. And that is because they are actually a type of cabbage!

Ornamental cabbage belong to the same species, Brassica oleracea, as edible cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. However, as it has been selectively bred for its ornamental appearance and vibrant colors it is generally not a good culinary vegetable. They are more bitter than regular cabbage. While it is technically edible and can be used as a garnish, it is not a direct substitute for the kind of cabbage you would typically eat in a salad. 

The Japanese name for this plant is "habotan" 葉牡丹（はぼたん） which means leaf peony. It is so named because of the the beautiful overlapping leaves, which resemble peony flowers. In the "hana no kotoba" language of flowers, "habotan" means "blessing" and "profit".  In Japan, ornamental kale / cabbage bloom in winter and you can generally see some displays in parks between November and March. Have you see any yet this year?