Primrose, a birthday flower of April 28th

The primrose blooms from April to May in soft shades of pink and white in Japan. Its scientific name is Primula Sieboldii. In Japanese it is called "sakurasou", which means "like a cherry blossom", as it was perceived to look like cherry blossoms. 

Primrose is the birthday flower of April 28th, and coincidentally I took the photo in this post on April 28th last year! It was at a primrose exhibition, where the primroses are purposefully raised in flowerpots. Primrose is the flower of Saitama Prefecture (and Saitama City), but yet there are few places you can see them in the wild in Saitama. It is also the birthday flower of May 18th.

In the Japanese language of flowers, hanakotoba, primroses are said to represent "first love" (初恋), "Longing" (憧れ) and "purity" (純潔). Meanings that are reflected in the gentle almost heart shaped petals, that resemble tiny cherry blossoms. Each bloom is formed from five fused lobes, giving it a delicate, unified look that feels both simple and quietly elegant.