IZUMO, Shimane -- Devil hands -- the botanical variety, that is -- are delighting visitors to a garden in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture.
Flowers have bloomed on two saplings of the so-called devil's hand tree, an evergreen belonging to the malvaceae family, at the Shimane Hana no Sato botanical garden. The stamens of the flowers look like the red claws of a devil.
The devil's hand tree is indigenous to Mexico and other Central American countries, where it can grow as tall as 20 meters. According to the botanical garden, it is the second facility in Japan at which this tree has blossomed since 2014, following the Aquatic Botanical Garden Mizunomori in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture.
The trees were donated as seedlings to Shimane Hana no Sato by an amateur plant enthusiast in October 2017. They have grown to about five meters high in a glass room, but they had not blossomed before.
After a staff member discovered flower buds on April 22, the botanical garden kept watch on the trees, which began blossoming on May 10. Three flowers and 10 buds were confirmed on Saturday.
"They have a very interesting appearance. Please come and have a look," a staffer said.
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