菖蒲あやめ

noun

iris; Siberian iris

Refers to irises in general, and specifically Iris sanguinea. In everyday use, あやめ often broadly covers several similar-looking purple flowers, though botanically distinct from はなしょうぶ (Japanese iris) and かきつばた (rabbit-ear iris).

• 庭にわにあやめが咲さいている。

  Irises are blooming in the garden.

• あやめの花はなは紫むらさき色いろが美うつくしい。

  The purple color of the iris flower is beautiful.

noun

sweet flag; calamus

Archaic use; now this plant is normally called しょうぶ. The kanji 菖蒲 read as あやめ for sweet flag is historical and rarely encountered in modern Japanese.

See also: 菖蒲 (しょうぶ)

• 古ふるい文ぶん献けんでは、菖蒲あやめを「あやめ」と読よんで菖しょう蒲ぶ湯ゆの材ざい料りょうを指さすことがある。

  In old texts, 菖蒲 read as あやめ can refer to the plant used for sweet-flag baths.