Waiting for the winter to come: Cirsium microspicatum in Yadoriki Water Source Forest

I don’t know why, but this fall in Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林, Cirsium microspicatum suddenly made colonies here and there. According to this HP of National Museum of Nature and Science, this species is Japanese endemic, or to be exact, indigenous to mountains for the middle area of Honshu Island. They can make a large cluster, the HP says. I found it interesting. It’s very vigorous but its rangeland is somehow limited … Sounds like people from an archipelago off the east coast of Euransian Continent, doesn’t it?

Wow. Congested.

Cirsium microspicatum is strong enough to have energetic vessels that can conduct ground water even the above-ground part is withered in winter. When the outer air temperature drops to below zero, the underground can be much warmer for this thistle’s roots continuing to drink water. When the vessels are not broken, such water goes above ground in the wilted body of Cirsium microspicatum. First, it oozes out from the surface of the stems. The freezing air above ground makes H2O freeze, and so the vessels of the plant would be burst with ice. As long as the root carries water to the above, the ice in the broken stem gets larger. It continues until the underground is frozen as well. People call such ice “winter flower” or “ice needles” of Cirsium microspicatum.

Imagining how winter flowers will come out here …

I guess we can find lots of such winter flowers this year in Yadoriki Water Source Forest. We must go there in early morning ... I’m looking forward to meeting them soon. 😀

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