Oreomecon rubroaurantiaca

Oreomecon rubroaurantiaca is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to Northeast Asia.

Hemerocallis minor

Hemerocallis minor, also known as dwarf daylily, grassleaf lily and small daylily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, China, and Korea. The plant grows up through 0.5 m high. Its wide yellow flowers are scentless. It is a hermaphroditic species, pollinated by insects such as honey bees. In China, the flowers are eaten as a traditional food. Despite their common name, daylilies are not true lilies (plants from the genus Lilium, family Liliaceae). Although the flowers of Hemerocallis and Lilium species have a similar shape, their growth habits, stems and leaf shapes are distinctive. Before 2009, the scientific classification of daylilies put them into the family Liliaceae. In 2009 daylilies were removed from the family Liliaceae and assigned to the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. Xanthorrhoeaceae was renamed in 2017 to Asphodelaceae.

Scabiosa comosa

Scabiosa comosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and Korea. It is found in colors ranging from pale blue to light purple. The common name comes the Latin word scabiosus meaning “mangy, rough or itchy” which refers to the herb’s traditional usage as a folk medicine to treat scabies, an illness that causes a severe itching sensation. Another common name for members of this genus is pincushion flowers. It is the national flower of Mongolia.

Lilium pumilum

Lilium pumilum, commonly known as Coral lily or Low lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and Korea. It bears from one to twenty reflexed and nodding flowers, usually red in colour. The flowers are scented. Pumilum is a commonly used Latin specific epithet in botanical nomenclature that translates to “dwarfish”. It is frequently used to distinguish a small species or variety from other, larger members within the same genus. In Taiwan, both the flower and bulbs are used as food.

Scorzonera radiata

Scorzonera radiata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, widely distributed in Northeast Asia. The name Scorzonera derives from the Italian scorza nera meaning “black bark” (or “black rind”), referencing the dark outer appearance of the edible root. Some sources also point to the Italian word scorzone, which refers to a venomous snake, as the plant was historically used as an antidote for snake bites (leading to its common name, “viper’s grass”). In the 16th century, it was believed to be effective against not just snake bites, but also the bubonic plague.

Gentianopsis barbata

Gentianopsis barbata is a species of flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae, native to Himalaya, Siberia, Mongolia, China, and Korea. Often called fringed gentians, these plants produce showy blue to purple flowers that open in sun and close at night. According to Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, King Gentius of Illyria found that the roots were useful as an emetic, cathartic, and tonic. From him, the plant’s name is derived. Gentianopsis barbata is a traditional Tibetan medicinal plant, with studies indicating high-value anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties.

Geranium transbaicalicum

Geranium transbaicalicum is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to the Transbaikal region near Lake Baikal. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of Geranium pratense (Geranium pratense subsp. transbaicalicum) or a separate, closely related species. It belongs to the Geranium genus, often called “true geraniums” or “cranesbills” to distinguish them from Pelargonium. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek geranos meaning “crane”. The English name cranesbill derives from the resemblance of the fruit capsule of some of the species to a crane’s head and bill. The ovary portion forms the head and the prolonged stigma creates the appearance of a beak.

Lilium pensylvanicum

Lilium pensylvanicum, sometimes called the Siberian lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, northeast China, Korea, and Hokkaido. It is sometimes synonymized with Lilium dauricum. The Latin name is misleading because it implies a North American origin (Pennsylvania) due to an error by botanist John Bellenden Ker. It is native to a cold climate and needs frost in the winter. Limenitis sydyi is a butterfly found in the East Palearctic that belongs to the Nymphalidae family. It is a nemoral (forest-dwelling) species recognized by its blackish-brown wings with white spots and bands, often exhibiting a bluish tint on the underside in males.

Linaria melampyroides

Linaria melampyroides is a species of flowering plant in the genus Linaria, native to the Transbaikal region in eastern Siberia. Linaria was traditionally placed in the family Scrophulariaceae. Phylogenetic analysis has now placed it in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae. The members of this genus are known in English as toadflax, a name shared with several related genera. The “toad” in toadflax may relate to the plants having historically been used to treat bubonic plague, a false link having been drawn between the words bubo (an infected, swollen lymph node) and Bufo (a genus of toads). The scientific name Linaria means “resembling linum” (flax), which the foliage of some species superficially resembles.

Potentilla tanacetifolia

Potentilla tanacetifolia, also called Tansy-leaved Cinquefoil, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to Northeast Asia. It is characterized by yellow flowers, pinnate leaves, and a height of 15-65 cm. Typical cinquefoils look most similar to strawberries, but differ in usually having dry, inedible fruit (hence the name “barren strawberry” for some species). Potentilla tanacetifolia used in traditional medicine for treating blood disorders, inflammation, and infections, particularly in Mongolia and China. It is valued ecologically for erosion control.

Iris uniflora

Iris uniflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, China, and Korea. It has thin grass-like leaves and stems, and purple, blue-purple or violet flowers. It is used within Tibetan herbal medicines, the seeds are an ingredient in a remedy used to treat de-toxification and as an insecticide. The flowers are used to treat eyesight problems and the root is used to cure freckles and ringworm. The genus takes its name from the Greek word iris meaning “rainbow” which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods, Iris.

Sonchus arvensis

Sonchus arvensis, the field milk thistle, field sowthistle, perennial sow-thistle, corn sow thistle, dindle, gutweed, swine thistle, or tree sow thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Eurasia, where it is widespread across most of the continent. It has also become naturalized in many other regions, and is considered an invasive noxious weed in some places, such as North America, New Zealand, and Australia. Sonchus arvensis often occurs in annual crop fields and may cause substantial yield losses.

Gagea pauciflora

Gagea pauciflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, and China. It is a small herb, often growing up to 30 cm tall, characterized by yellow-green flowers and blooming in early spring (April-May) as an ephemeral. The genus is named after the English naturalist Sir Thomas Gage (1781-1820). The specific epithet pauciflora means “few flowered”.

Stellera chamaejasme

Stellera is a genus of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae, with a single species Stellera chamaejasme found in mountainous regions of northern and western Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, the state of Uttar Pradesh in north India, Siberia, and Mongolia. The genus Stellera was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The generic name Stellera (not to be confused with the entirely unrelated Stellaria) commemorates botanist Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709-1746), while the specific epithet chamaejasme is a rendering into botanical Latin orthography of the Greek “(down) on the ground” and “jasmine”. The name in its entirety thus means “Steller’s plant that resembles a kind of jasmine (that creeps) on the ground”. The flower of Stellera chamaejasme is fragrant like that of jasmine and also has a wine-red exterior, like that of certain species of jasmine. The plant is virulently poisonous.

Camaquen

Small anthropomorphic (male and female) and zoomorphic figurines were produced in Incan times for ritual offerings. They were offered to huacas (sacred places). The Quechua people traditionally believed every object has a physical presence and two camaquen (spirits), one to create it and another to animate it. They would invoke its spirits for the object to function.

Lilium pumilum

Lilium pumilum, also known as Coral lily, Low lily or Lipstick lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to grassy mountainous areas of Northeast Asia. Coral lily is edible and has a history of use as a food source, particularly in its native regions of northern China, Mongolia, and Siberia. While edible for humans, Lilium species are highly toxic to cats, causing kidney failure. In addition to food, the bulbs are traditionally used in East Asian cultures as medicine to treat coughs, insomnia, and as a nutritive tonic.

Polygonatum odoratum

Polygonatum odoratum, the angular Solomon’s seal or scented Solomon’s seal, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Nepal, Siberia, Mongolia, China, Korea, and Japan. The genus name Polygonatum comes from the Greek words poly meaning “many”, and gonu meaning “knee joint”. This is in reference to the plant’s jointed rhizomes. The Latin specific epithet odoratum means “scented”. Polygonatum odoratum is used in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine. In Korea, the root of the plant is used to make tea.

Solanum kitagawae

Solanum kitagawae, also known as Kitagawa’s nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Northeast Asia. It has been listed under the names Solanum borealisinense and Solanum depilatum. Solanum kitagawae is named in honor of Masao Kitagawa (1910-1995), a Japanese botanist and pteridologist. Most parts of the plant, especially the green parts and unripe fruit, are poisonous to humans.

Bauta

Bauta is famous through the Carnival of Venice as it is the main type of mask worn during the Carnival. Bauta was used also on many other occasions as a device for hiding the wearer’s identity and social status. It would permit the wearer to act more freely in cases where he or she wanted to interact with other members of the society outside the bounds of identity and everyday convention. It was thus useful for a variety of purposes, some of them illicit or criminal, others just personal, such as romantic encounters. The Bauta’s most distinctive feature is its prominent, beak-like chin, which juts out sharply from the face. This design allowed the wearer to speak, eat, and drink without the need to remove the mask, making it a practical choice for extended gatherings and social events. The mask was often paired with a black cloak, called a tabarro, and a tricorn hat, which further obscured the wearer’s identity and added to the sense of mystery and anonymity.

Vicia unijuga

Vicia unijuga, commonly called two-leaf vetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan, where it is widespread.

Lactuca sibirica

Lactuca sibirica, the Siberian lettuce, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, Korea and Japan.

Papilio machaon

Papilio machaon, the Old World swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. The butterfly is also known as the common yellow swallowtail or simply the swallowtail. It is the type species of the genus Papilio. This widespread species is found in much of the Palearctic (it is the only swallowtail in most of Europe) and in North America.

Chelidonium majus

Chelidonium majus subsp. grandiflorum, the greater celandine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to Siberia, China and Korea. Chelidonium majus was described by Carl Linnaeus in volume one of his Species Plantarum in 1753. The name celandine comes from Late Latin celidonia, from earlier Latin chelidonia or chelidonium, and ultimately from Ancient Greek chelidon meaning “swallow”, hence the common name swallowwort. Ancient writers said that the flower bloomed when the swallows returned and faded when they left. It is a traditional folk remedy against warts.

Chamaenerion angustifolium

Chamaenerion angustifolium, also known by the taxonomic synonyms Chamerion angustifolium and Epilobium angustifolium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Onagraceae. It is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere.

Bench

“There are stories in everything. I’ve got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts, and newspaper stands.”
— O. Henry

Vicia amoena

Vicia amoena, the lovely vetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, widely distributed in Siberia, Mongolia, China and Korea.