CHAPTER NINETEEN 

 SEX IN FLOWERS AND TREES 



THE Japanese are fond of applying a 

 distinction of sex to inanimate things. 

 They distinguish between male and 

 female rocks and stones, male and female 

 waterfalls, etc., and this same distinction 

 is carried out in flower arrangement. All 

 flowers and grasses in general belong to the 

 ■ xn _ female sex — while the trees belong to 

 the yo or male. These distinctions are also 

 applied between different forms of flowers. 

 The buds are female; fully opened and 

 perfect flowers are male; and the over- 

 blown and withered again return to female. 

 They even distinguish between the front 

 and the back of leaves, though it is merely 

 a contrast of color. The front of a leaf is 

 male and the back female. If two leaves 

 grow together, as shown in the cut, the 



[195] 



