Peach blossom, a birthday flower of April 12th

Momo (桃)  is the Japanese word for peach, referring to both the tree and to peach blossoms. They are one of the birthday flowers of April 12th, along with the apricot blossom. In addition, peach blossoms are a birthday flower of March 3rd, and the white peach blossom are a birthday flower of March 5th.

Peach blossoms appear in early spring, generally around mid-March in the Kanto plain (Greater Tokyo area). I took the photo in this post on March 23rd. They often overlap with plum blossoms, apricot blossoms and early blooming cherry blossoms. They are recognizable by their vivid color (although there are white ones too) as well as their slightly fuller petals and pointed tips.

In the Japanese language of flowers, they have a few different meanings, including "unrivaled" or "invincible", "good natured personality" and "I am your captive". The latter is also a meaning of the blossoms in the English / Western language of flowers too.