Birth flower for May 5
Japanese iris
Meaning: good news, tenderness
Japanese irises were bred in Japan from a wild marsh iris. In the Edo period a samurai named Matsudaira Shoo spent his life raising famous varieties, and breeders later split them into three lines named after Edo, Ise and Higo. The "shobu" leaves floated in baths on Children's Day come from a completely different plant that just shares the name.