Tosa Winter Hazel, a birthday flower of March 18th

March 18th annually has at least three different birthday flowers. They are pink azalea, dogwood and Tosa (or Japanese) Winter Hazel. In Japanese Tosa / Japanese Winter Hazel is called tosamizuki 土佐水木. Tosa is the old provincial name for what is Kochi Prefecture today and mizuki, literally "water tree", refers to the dogwood group of shrubs and small trees. In hanakotoba, Tosa winter hazel carries the meanings “purity,” “elegance,” and “message”

 The appearance of Tosa Winter Hazel is quite unusual, and I personally don't see it frequently in Japan. But supposedly you can see it in Kochi prefecture, from where it takes its name. I took the photo in this post in a national government park in Saitama Prefecture, where it was cultivated specifically. The flowers are yellow and bell shaped and typically dangle down, with a hint of red at the stamens. 

Often a birthday flower in the early months of the year isn't actually in bloom on its day, but the Tosa Winter Hazel is in bloom in Japan right now. It typically blooms around March to April. Some flowers appear on the birthday flower calendar several times, but Tosa Winter Hazel is the birthday flower of March 18th alone.