Plum blossom Coloring Pages

"Messenger of Spring" blooming through the harsh cold Plum blossom is a flower that starts blooming early in spring before other flowers, while it is still chilly. It smells wonderful, and Japanese people have loved it for a very long time.

Name and English Origin

The name of Plum blossom comes from old history and old ways of calling it.

• English Name: In English, it is called Japanese Apricot or Plum.

• English Origin: It got these names because it looks like apricots and plums.

• Name Origin: The Japanese word "ume" is famous for coming from the Chinese word "mei." "Mei" changed into "mume," and then it became "ume."

Bloom Time and Flower Meanings

Bloom Time Plum blossom blooms from around late January to mid-March. You can see it bloom strong and bright as winter ends and spring begins.

Flower Meanings The flower meanings for Plum blossom are "Nobility," "Faithfulness," and "Patience."

• Nobility: This comes from how proudly it blooms in the cold.

• Patience: This shows its power to bloom after pushing through the cold winter.

The flower meanings also change by color.

• Red Plum blossom: "Charm"

• White Plum blossom: "Elegance"

Plum blossom Types and Life

• Types: There are over 300 types of Plum blossom in Japan!

• Groups: We can split them into two main groups: "Flower Plum blossom" for enjoying pretty flowers, and "Fruit Plum blossom" for picking tasty fruit.

• About the Fruit: The fruit of Plum blossom has lots of citric acid in it. But be careful! Eating it raw can give you a stomachache. People usually eat it as pickled plum or drink it as plum juice.

• Lucky "Pine, Bamboo, and Plum blossom": Plum blossom has strong life power to stand up to the cold. That is why it is famous as a "lucky plant" alongside pine and bamboo.

Here are tips to make your Plum blossom look cute and realistic!

Color the petals carefully with different colors

• Choosing red or white: Plum blossom has white flowers (white plum) and red flowers (red plum).

• White plum: Do not leave it pure white. Add a little very light yellow-green or light blue at the base of the petals. This shows how soft white petals are!

• Red plum: Use dark pink or red-purple. Color the outside dark and the inside light to make a pretty shade!

Draw the stamens and pistil clearly

• Many stamens spread out in the middle of the Plum blossom. Color them like little yellow dots to make the flower look nice and bright!

Show the feel of strong branches

• Plum blossom branches are famous for being bumpy and strong.

• Try layering dark brown and gray. If you draw shaky lines on purpose, you can give it a cool old-tree look!

Do not forget the buds that have not opened yet

• Color the small round buds next to the open flowers with dark red or pink dots. This makes your picture feel exciting, like spring is on its way!

How is it different from cherry blossoms and peaches?

Plum blossom, peach blossoms, and cherry blossoms all look a lot alike, but you can tell them apart by the shape of their petals. Cherry blossom petals have a split like a heart at the tip, and peach blossom petals are pointed, but Plum blossom flowers have a round tip. The Plum blossom flower has the gentlest and cutest shape of all!

They bloom stuck right onto the branches

There is also a difference in how the flowers bloom. Cherry blossoms grow at the end of thin stems coming out from the branch, but Plum blossom flowers have almost no stem, so they bloom stuck right onto the branches. Only one flower bud grows from each spot, so the whole branch looks neat and tidy, too.

They have a super nice smell

A big feature of the Plum blossom flower is its sweet, sour, and lovely nice smell. It blooms while it is still chilly outside, so even if you cannot see it, you can tell spring is coming by its smell and think, "Ah, the Plum blossom has bloomed!"

Delicious plum fruits to eat

After the flowers are gone, the fruit that grows can be turned into pickled plums or plum syrup to eat! Pickled plums have a super power that helps you feel less tired and keeps your lunchbox food fresh. They are a must-have food for Japanese dining tables!

The flower loved by the god of learning

Sugawara no Michizane, a famous man known as the "god of learning," loved the Plum blossom flower very much. At shrines called "Tenmangu (Tenjin-sama)" where he is honored, you will always find many Plum blossom trees planted. It is a flower that cheers on everyone who works hard at their studies, too!