Birth flower for May 31
Kousa dogwood
Meaning: friendship
Its Japanese name, yamaboshi, means mountain monk: the round flower head is said to look like a shaved head and the four white bracts like a white hood, recalling the warrior monks of Mount Hiei. Those white bracts are not petals; the true flowers are tiny and packed into the center. In autumn the tree hangs out round red fruits that are sweet and edible.