Flowers of the Persimmon (Kaki) Tree in Bloom
Flowers of the persimmon tree – what look like petals are in fact sepals (parts of the calyx) – the protective covering of the flower.
By Avi Landau
Out in the Japanese countryside, you are never very far from a kaki (persimmon) tree. Here in Tsukuba, they can be found in groves, large and small – and as individual trees in the the gardens of many homes. And while we can`t help but notice them in late autumn and early winter when they all but dominate the landscape with their leafless branches weighed down by the deeply hued orange orbs that are their fruit, they go all but unnoticed for the rest of the year.
Persimmon flower in Kimijima, Tsukuba
Few people realize, in fact, the persimmon trees flower. With the trees` fresh spring leaves being so vividly green (they are famously used to wrap mackerel sushi – kaki no ha zushi – in Nara Prefecture) and the blossoms themselves so small and greenish that it really is hard to notice ( I remember first discovering them after a couple had fallen to the pavement near my house – I then looked up and voila!).
Kaki flowers on the ground near my house.
Kaki no hana – flowers of the persimmon tree (Matsushiro, Tsukuba – 2017)
Since they are in bloom right now (late May 2018) – don`t miss the chance to have a good look at these unusual flowers on a kaki tree near YOU.
A kaki tree in late autumn – while these trees stand out at that time of year, few people notice their curious blossoms that bloom in late May and early June
Persimmon flowers