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Friday, October 14, 2011

Why is the cosmos flower called "cosmos"?


Cosmos flower is now in full bloom. Light pink, rose, white, orange.... They are waving in the breeze beautifully.
In Japan, cosmos is the seasonal word for autumn and it is "秋桜" in kanji Chinese characters which means "autumn cherry blossom". The shape of its petal looks like that of cherry blossom, so it is called cherry blossom blooming in autumn.
It is a rather new flower in Japan which came to Japan in the19th century.



I have been wondering why cosmos is called cosmos (universe). The gregarious cosmos looked like twinkling stars at dark night in the ancient times????
Today when I was surfing the Internet, I happened to find this article of India.

Why is the cosmos flower called so?  Nov 28, 2004, 12.37am IST

Cosmos belongs to a vast family of plants known as Compositae. The plant produces showy flowers in an orderly arrangement of cosmic proportions. Spanish priests grew cosmos in their mission gardens in Mexico. The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower 'Cosmos', the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. Cosmos, like many of our warm weather annuals such as marigolds, originated in Mexico and South America.

Shreya Sharma, Vadodara
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2004-11-28/open-space/27168154_1_cosmos-flower-marigolds
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7 comments:

  1. Gill - That British WomanOctober 14, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    thanks for becoming a follower on my blog I appreciate that.

    Our son was in Japan last year for a wedding and had a super time.

    I will pass this link onto him and his Japanese friends as they will also be interested in it.

    Gill in Canada

    P.S. very informative posts........

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  2. beagleAnnieOctober 14, 2011 at 9:26 PM

    Thank you for becoming a follower, too, Gill. I'm happy to hear your son had a great time in Japan.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KaisievicOctober 16, 2011 at 3:32 PM

    I love the picture of the field of pink cosmos - so beautiful. Japan is truly a gorgeous country.

    Hugs, Kaye xoxox

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  4. Jane Heitman HealyOctober 17, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    Thanks for teaching me more about cosmos! I love them. They grow here, too, though earlier in the season. I'm glad to know where the name comes from.

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  5. ZootyOwlMay 16, 2014 at 5:45 PM

    I am from South Africa and we also have lovely cosmos displays in the Autumn - but I cannot find a photo of this amongst my own photos. I was looking for a photo to use on my Crochet Blog to describe a certain yarn I have used - I would love if I could borrow your photos (I will give you full credit for the photo and also link back to your blog) - Regards from SA

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  6. beagleAnnieMay 17, 2014 at 9:31 PM

    Thank you for your email. It's my pleasure for you to use my photo.
    Enjoy a nice autumn season! I am enjoying beautiful spring now in Japan.

    ReplyDelete

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