{Inter} Cultural Japan

[Flowering kale. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

When I first saw this type of planting, many years ago in China, I thought somebody had tried to be funny by stuffing a pot full of cabbages. Yes, it looks ornamental, but my first reaction is to put my teeth in those leaves, rather then feasting on them with my eyes! My grandfather had a large vegetable garden with cabbages, but he never put them in a flowerpot.

Since I also often saw these things in Japan, I have finally taken the trouble to look it up, and now I know that the official Latin name is Brassica oleracea var. acephala. It is closer to kale than cabbage and should therefore in English be called “flowering kale” rather than “ornamental cabbage.”

[Flowering kale in a New Year ornament. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

Flowering kale is indeed cultivated for its ornamental, rounded leaves, which are white or dark red in the interior. It is a strong plant that can withstand low temperatures and is therefore popular in winter. Still, these plants are said to be as good in the cookpot as they are in the winter flower bed. In Japan they are called habotan (”leafy peony”) and especially popular for New Year decorations, as in both pictures here which were taken just after New Year in Osaka Castle.