pygmy waterlily
A small species of waterlily native to East Asia, Nymphaea tetragona. The Japanese name literally means 'sheep grass', possibly from the flowering season or leaf shape.
Pygmy waterlilies are blooming in the pond.
It is usually written in kana. Katakana is common for plant names.
Hiragana spelling, also acceptable.
Kanji form is rare and not commonly used; the word is usually written in kana.
Written 未草, the name is traditionally associated with 未の刻, the old “hour of the sheep,” because its flowers were said to open during that period in the afternoon.