noun
non-fruit-bearing flower; blossom that doesn't bear fruit
Refers to a flower that blooms but does not develop into fruit. Often used metaphorically for something that looks promising but yields no result. Compare with あだばな (徒花), which can also mean 'fruitless effort'.
See also: 徒花 (あだばな)
この桜は徒花で、実をつけない。
This cherry tree produces non-fruit-bearing flowers and doesn't bear fruit.
彼の努力は結局徒花に終わった。
His efforts ended up being fruitless, like a blossom that never becomes fruit.
Also written 徒花, but read あだばな. It shares the literal meaning of a non-fruiting flower, but more commonly carries the metaphorical sense of 'fruitless effort' or 'transient beauty'. むだばな is less common and more directly tied to the literal botanical sense.
Compound of 無駄 (muda, 'wasteful') + 花 (hana, 'flower'), with rendaku voicing of はな to ばな. The kanji 徒 can also represent 'futility' or 'vainness', reinforcing the sense of a flower that blooms in vain.