Birth flower for February 25
Flowering quince
Meaning: pioneer
Clusters of round red flowers press right against the thorny branches in early spring, often before the leaves, which is why one of its meanings in Japan is pioneer. The Japanese name boke comes from the Chinese mugua, tree melon, after its hard fruit. The fruit smells lovely but is too sour and hard to eat raw, so it is made into liqueur and jam and used in traditional medicine.