The Benibana Museum (The Safflower Museum)
7. Kinds of Benibana (紅花の品種)
The kind of benibana now growing in Yamagata Prefecture is called "Mogami-benibana" (最上紅花) which is mostly separated by the Yamagata Agricultural Laboratory from the mesomorph kind of Dewa (出羽在来種の中生種). Another separation is being done as a "Thornless benibana" which is selected from a nature kind. This kind is used for cut flowers. Further, "Yellow kind" which is colorless flower and "White kind", which is one of the variety, an "Early ripening kind" "Slow grower kind" "American kind" "Okayama kind" "Chinese kind" "Israel kind" "Brazil kind" are counted.
Mogami-benibana | items | Thornless benibana |
sharp thorn at the tip of leaves | thorn | not grown |
about 1 meter | height | about 70 centimeter |
7~15 | branches | few |
small | corolla | big |
faint | color of leaves | thick |
at the head of July | flower season | at the end of June |