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rabbitear iris (Iris laevigata)
A water-loving iris that grows in shallow ponds and wet ditches, producing deep purple flowers in May and June. Long celebrated in Japanese poetry and art.
池に杜若が咲いている。
Rabbitear irises are blooming in the pond.
杜若は初夏を代表する花だ。
The rabbitear iris is a flower representative of early summer.
尾形光琳の杜若の屏風は日本美術を代表する作品だ。
Ogata Kōrin's screen painting of rabbitear irises is a representative work of Japanese art.
Often written 燕子花 as well — both spellings are jukujikun. Famous in classical poetry from the Heian-period 伊勢物語 (Tales of Ise) and in the Edo-period folding-screen paintings by Ogata Kōrin.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 花菖蒲: Japanese iris — blooms slightly later; on land, not in water
- アヤメ: Siberian iris — drier-soil iris; the proverb いずれアヤメか杜若 ("either iris or rabbitear — hard to choose") refers to all three being similarly beautiful
- 菖蒲: sweet flag — unrelated plant despite the shared kanji
Related Words
Related:
花菖蒲 (Japanese iris)