Birth flower for July 7
Morning glory
Meaning: Brief love
Morning glories open at dawn and wilt before noon, hence the Japanese name asagao, "morning face." The plant first reached Japan around the Nara to Heian periods as a medicine, its seeds used as a laxative. In the Edo period a breeding craze swept Japan, producing henka asagao, bizarre mutant forms with curled, split or fringed petals. The Chinese name, "leading an ox," is said to come from a patient who led an ox to thank the healer.