英語訳
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Lotus flower
(Also called) Kayō (lotus leaf)
(Also called) Fuyō (hibiscus)
(April through July)
Chinese lotus
The flowers are numerous, with tip-red, base-red, deep red, and white varieties. There are golden-thread lotus and silver-thread lotus, and Indian lotus with vein-like patterns visible on the petals.
The color is true red, with narrow petals, small details, and petals that fold inward like multi-petaled flowers. There are white varieties, and also white with lotus-red. There are large lotus with true red and white blooming separately. ○ Generally, lotus first produces floating leaves, second-layer leaves, and third-layer leaves, then produces flower buds. The leaves gradually flourish and the flowers open.
When flowers open, they fall and become seed pods. Floating leaves refer to those that float and drift on the water surface. Second-layer leaves are those that emerge next, rising slightly above the water surface and opening. Third-layer leaves refer to when rolled leaves stand up above the second layer. Third-layer leaves emerge, produce buds, leaves flourish, flowers open, and after flowering they fall and become pods. When painting lotus leaves, first make the leaves flourish, then arrange flowers slightly below the leaves. When painting lotus flowers, arrange leaves slightly below the flowers. When painting lotus, raise the lotus pods high and arrange both leaves and flowers slightly below.
Sometimes flowers are scattered and leaves wither and enter the water. Seeds from lotus pods fly and lodge in the soil. Buds emerge, flowers flourish, and pod seeds fly. These three represent past, present, and future.
○The "Erya" states: "Lotus is fúqú. Its stem is jiā, its leaves are hé, its flowers are hàndàn, its fruit is lián, its root is ǒu, its center is dí." ○The "Gewu Conghua" states: "Double-layered lotus flowers and twin-headed ones are considered auspicious. Also, some rise toward the morning sun at dawn and droop into the water at night, called sleeping lotus. Lotus flowers are also called water hibiscus or grass hibiscus."
Another name for lotus is hàndàn, another name is water fúqú. There are thousand-petal varieties (yellow, white, and red thousand-petal), and red-edge white-center varieties. There are horseshoe lotus with many large seeds. There are ink lotus, all excellent varieties. Planted on Mount Hua, with a pool on the mountain peak,
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producing thousand-petal lotus. When consumed, it causes transformation into an immortal. What Zheng Gu's poetry calls "jade well lotus of Taihua peak" refers to this.
In the South Sea, some sleep facing the morning sun and droop into water at night. In years with water, lotus blooms early. Once, Duan Bo called this a "pure friend." There are also golden lotus, clematis, and white large yi-lotus. The flowers are extremely difficult to open, the base is like banana plants, and leaves are like taro. Also called Guanyin taro. Blue lotus, or clematis. The Jin dynasty's Buddha Tucheng took a bowl, filled it with water, burned incense and cast spells on it, and blue lotus grew in the bowl. The flower's radiant color illuminated people, blooming in the fourth and fifth months.
Kodemari (flowers in March)
The flower color is white, and the form resembles ōdemari. There are five petals with stamens in the center. The leaf shape is serrated like saw teeth, with leaves attached individually like lower attachments, and flowers emerge from between them. The shrub is like yamabuki, spreading horizontally and proliferating. The flowers form continuous clusters. Also, those with reddish-black stems have stiffness in their leaves.
Ōdemari
(March and April)
(Fundan is the name of the flower)
Leaves emerge opposite each other, with round, large forms having wrinkles, resembling ground cherry plum leaves. The tree height exceeds one jō (about 3 meters), branches emerge on both sides extending in four directions, with flowers at the tips like temari balls. The petals are originally uniform, dividing into five. Each flower's shape is like white plum, with flowers clustered together. Sometimes like balls, flowers have gradations with no receptacle. Flowers start small and grow larger day by day. Initially they open blue, becoming white at their peak, with holes in the center.
Hydrangea creates flowers as ornamental balls, extremely densely clustered like balls, hence the name. Using yaezakura (double cherry blossoms), if grafted onto old branches, they grow easily.