Alpine Plants Growing in the Caldera
Hinazakura, a white primrose with a yellow center, bluish-purple clustered gentian, and the bright yellow flowers of the togebuki leopard plant are among the alpine plants that grow in the meadows of Mt. Iwate’s caldera. In areas with high moisture levels, bright pink, yellow, purple and white flowers stand out against a carpet of green. In areas where the snows last long into spring and the soil is moist, deer-cabbage flowers bloom, sprouting from the soaked earth wherever the snow has melted. Marsh tea, a low shrub with white flowers, grows in wet, acidic soil and can be found near hot springs, while the delicate pink flowers of Asian pogonia, a species of orchid, can be found in sunlit areas. Keep an eye out for nebarinogiran, a variety of aletris with many small, cocoon-like flowers growing on each stem. Native to Japan, it can commonly be found in the Hachimantai region.