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<H1><FONT size=3><EM>From the Daily Yomiuri</EM></FONT></H1>
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<H1>NATURE IN SHORT / Roadside wildflowers instrumental in studying botany</H1><!--// headline_end //--><!--// byline_start //-->
<P class=byline>Kevin Short / Daily Yomiuri Columnist</P><!--// byline_end //--><!--// article_start //--><!-- google_ad_region_start=region1 -->
<P>Onward rolls the Great Wheel of the Year. In the traditional Asian calendar,
the first moon of this brand new Water-Snake year (mizunoto-mi in Japanese) is
already a fat waxing gibbous. Look for the beautiful moon goddess rising through
the eastern sky early this afternoon. If the weather is clear, we can also
expect soft but steady moonlight well into the wee hours of Friday morning.</P>
<P>At this time of year, the weather can change dramatically on a daily basis. A
blustery day of near-freezing wind may be followed by an afternoon of soft
sunshine, with temperatures soaring up into the teens.</P>
<P>On days like this south-facing grassy slopes and roadsides will be spattered
with the pastel hues of early spring wildflowers. Early spring presents a
special opportunity that a wide variety of smaller herbaceous plants have
evolved to take advantage of. Day by day, the sun climbs higher and shines
stronger, and by afternoon the air has warmed up enough for various small bees
and nectar flies to take wing. On the other hand, grasses and other aggressive
weeds have not yet grown tall enough to monopolize the light. Typical of these
small early spring wildflowers is the little Persian speedwell. This low-growing
but exceptionally hardy plant is native to western Asia and northern Africa, but
has naturalized all over the world.</P>
<P>Here in Japan, it arrived in the late 19th century, and is now one of the
country's most common roadside wildflowers, blooming profusely in dense clusters
on park lawns in the towns and cities, and all along the field edges and aze
dikes in the rice paddy countryside.</P>
<P>Speedwells, classified in the Genus Veronica, form a diverse group of plants,
with over 500 species worldwide. The genus name, which is sometimes also used as
a common name, is said to be derived from St. Veronica. According to Christian
tradition, Veronica was a maiden whom wiped the cut and bleeding face of Jesus
on his way to be crucified. The image of Jesus' face was miraculously preserved
on the cloth. The soft whitish blue markings on the flower reminded people of
this cloth.</P>
<P>The Japanese generic name for speedwells is inu-no-fuguri, which means
literally "dog's testicles"! This name derives from the distinctively shaped
fruits, which show two fuzzy round lobes fused together at the base. The Persian
speedwell (V. persica) is called o-inunofugiri, with the prefix o meaning
"large." A native species, the inunofuguri (V. didyma), is an overall smaller
and more delicate plant that was once common in western and southern Japan, but
has since retreated into the hills and mountains under the onslaught of the
larger and more aggressive invader.</P>
<P>Common roadside wildflowers like the speedwell are ideal for learning more
about the structure and workings of plants. Botany is usually seen as a stuffy,
highly academic discipline. The mass of intimidating terminology alone usually
discourages most novices. Plant study, however, can also be approached as a
fascinating and enjoyable hobby. The keys to this are direct, hands-on
observation, and learning the basic terms (in both Japanese and English) at
one's own leisurely pace.</P>
<P>The speedwell flowers, although less than a centimeter in diameter, open up
wide and flat, making them easy to observe. Still, a small hand lens, even the
three or four power magnification type sold in 100 yen shops, is useful for
seeing details. You can examine the open flowers by getting down on all fours,
or more simply and conveniently by picking a few stalks and taking them home or
to a nearby coffee shop. </P>
<P>The speedwells are among the most common plants in the land and are
considered to be undesirable invasive aliens to boot, so there's no ecological
issue involved with selectively harvesting a few flower stalks. In fact, this is
a spreading plant, and most of the stalks in a dense cluster are actually part
of the same individual. Grabbing a handful of stalks will in no way harm the
plant. Plants such as this are even designed to lose some of their leaves and
stalks to grazing animals.</P>
<P>Flowers contain a plant's vital reproductive structures. Botanists believe
that the individual parts of the flower first evolved from leaves that became
more and more specialized. The two main reproductive structures are the male
stamen (oshibe) and the female pistil (meshibe). </P>
<P>Many flowers, including the speedwell, are bisexual. This means that each
flower contains both the male and female reproductive structures. The stamen
consists of an enlarged head, called the anther (yaku), and a supporting stalk,
known as the filament (kashi). Pollen grains, which contain the sperm cells, are
produced within chambers inside the anther.</P>
<P>When the pollen is ready, the anther splits open, allowing the grains to
spill out. In some species of plant the pollen grains are designed to be carried
away on the wind; while in others, such as the speedwells, they are carried away
on the legs and belly of insects and other pollinators that visit the flower to
collect a nectar reward. </P>
<P>The female structure is made up of three parts. At the very tip is the stigma
(chuto), whose job is to receive the pollen grains, either by snatching them out
of the air or removing them from a pollinator. Once captured by the stigma, the
pollen grains split open to release the sperm cells, which then make their way
down a tubelike structure called the style (kachu). Waiting at the base of the
style is the ovule (shibo), inside of which is the female egg.</P>
<P>Pollination occurs when pollen grains are captured by the stigma, and
fertilization when the sperm cells reach the ovary and unite with the egg. The
fruit of this union is a seed (tane), which will grow while protected inside the
walls of the expanding ovary. The fertilized, seed-containing ovary is usually
known as a fruit (kajitsu). </P>
<P>Short is a naturalist and cultural anthropology professor at Tokyo University
of Information Sciences.</P>
<DIV class=date-def>(<!--// date_start //-->Feb. 21,
2013<!--// date_end //-->)</DIV><!-- google_ad_region_end=region1 --><!--// article_end //--></DIV>
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