Water Hyacinth, a birthday flower of July 13th

Water hyacinth (ホテイアオイ) is one of several birthday flowers for July 13th, and as far as I can tell, it only appears once on the Japanese birthday‑flower calendar. In one way that surprises me, and in another it doesn’t. Here in Saitama Prefecture, water hyacinth is relatively common, but I rarely see it featured in other regions.

It is one of summer’s most striking aquatic flowers in Japan, floating lightly across ponds and rivers with soft lavender petals and bright yellow markings. Originally from South America, it has adapted easily to Japan’s warm climate, where its round, buoyant leaves and delicate blooms create a gentle, calming scene on still water. Water Hyacinth can be seen from as early as late June until as late as early October. Early Autumn is generally the best time to see them though.

The Japanese for water hyacinth is "hotei aoi", for a very interesting reason highlighted in this post. In the Japanese language of flowers, hanakotoba, water hyacinth carries the meanings of "a wavering heart" and "the sadness of love".