Urajiro (Gleichenia japonica)

Gleichenia japonica

Location: Copilot
Location: Copilot

Flower name
Urajiro (Gleichenia japonica)
Scientific name
Gleichenia japonica
Aliasシダ, 羊歯
Place of originIndia to South Polynesia
Place of floweringLow mountains
Flowering seasonJuly

What is Urajiro (Gleichenia japonica)

Birth flowers for Nov 23

The birth flower for November 23rd is Urajiro (Gleichenia japonica).

Although it is a bit early for New Year's, here is a sneak peek. After New Year's Day, I will be placed underneath Kagami-mochi (mirror rice cakes) and serve as an accessory—like a tie or scarf—for Kadomatsu (pine decorations), helping to celebrate the New Year with all of you. I look forward to the season.

The green leaf on the left shows the front of the Urajiro, and the white leaf on the right shows the back. Illustration by Copilot.

Urajiro (Gleichenia japonica) is an evergreen terrestrial fern in the family Gleicheniaceae, distributed across Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and China.
It is sometimes simply called "fern" (Shida).
Because new fronds sprout in the spring while the previous year's leaves fall—repeating a cycle of generational change—it represents the prosperity of descendants and is considered an auspicious symbol used in New Year's decorations.
It grows naturally on bright forest floors and forest edges in low mountains in warm regions (south of central Honshu).

The plant height is 1–3 meters. Rhizomes creep horizontally near the ground and are covered with scales.
The petioles are thick and brownish-brown, and the leaves emerging from the tip grow facing each other.
The front of the leaf is green, while the back is white; the leaves are bipinnately lobed.
The spore season is July, with yellowish-green sporangia (sori) attaching to the underside of the leaves.
Its leaves are used for New Year's Kagami-mochi and Shime-kazari (sacred rope decorations), and the petioles are used for basketry/rattan work.

Origin of the Name

The genus name "Gleichenia" is named after the 18th-century German naturalist W. F. von Gleichen.
The species epithet "japonica" indicates that this plant was discovered in Japan.
It is called Urajiro (meaning "white back") because the underside of the leaf is white.

General Name: Urajiro
Scientific Name: Gleichenia japonica
Other Names: Fern (Shida)
Classification: Kingdom Plantae, Pteridophyta, Pteridopsida, Gleicheniales, Gleicheniaceae, Gleichenia
Origin: Warm regions of Japan (south of central Honshu)
Distribution: Throughout Japan
Habitat: Bright forest floors and edges in low mountains
Height: 1–3 m
Petiole: Thick, dark brown
Leaf Color: Green on the front, white on the back
Leaf Shape: Bipinnatifid (deeply lobed)
Spore Season: July
Sporangia Location: Underside of leaves
Sori: Yellowish-green
Uses: Leaves for New Year's decorations (Kagami-mochi, Shime-kazari); petioles for weaving/crafts.