Plants of Urabandai
A wide variety of plant life flourishes in Urabandai’s open wetlands, high-mountain grasslands, and dense forests. Azaleas and dense fields of zenteika (also called nikko kisuge) daylilies (Hemerocallis middendorffii) flower in the marshland surrounding lake, Oguninuma, between mid-June and late June to early July, respectively. Higher on the slopes, severe cold and strong winds during the winter months make it difficult for even hardy alpine plants to thrive. However, the blue-violet Bandai speedwell (Veronica schmidtiana) is one species that has adapted to the harsh environment. Other notable plants seen here are skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus nipponicus), found near many of Urabandai’s ponds, and a type of moss (Drepanocladus fluitans) that forms dense mats in some of the more acidic Goshikinuma ponds.