botany

Blue is the least abundant flower color. Because even I don't know the reason, you must not know it either. (Can anyone tell me why? I seriously want to know it. Please.)

Gentian is one of the few groups which feature true blue flowers. While not all gentians are blue (some are, for example, yellow), many people would associate the color with gentian. Besides the special color, for the Japanese, gentians remind us of a sense of autumn. Indeed, they are among the best-selling autumn flowers. You can find blue gentians at any flower shop around this time.

The gentian in the photo is Gentiana triflora var japonica. I'm growing the plant in my garden. As you can guess from japonica in its scientific name, the species is native to Japan. But not unique to Japan. They are also found in the surrounding Far-East region.