Shibazakura
/ˌʃɪbə zəˈkɑːrə/noun
A low-growing flowering plant, usually moss phlox, cultivated for its dense carpet of pink, white, or purple blooms.
Did you know?In Japan, shibazakura is celebrated in vast flower carpets that visually echo cherry blossoms, even though the plant is a North American phlox rather than a cherry tree.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Japanese
Japanese
芝 (shiba)
“Turf, lawn, or grass”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
桜 (sakura)
“Cherry blossom or cherry tree”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
芝桜 (shibazakura)
“A flowering groundcover whose blossoms resemble cherry flowers across a lawn”
20th Century
English
shibazakura
“A Japanese horticultural name for moss phlox, especially when planted as a flower carpet”
Modern English
English
shibazakura
“A low-growing ornamental phlox known for mass spring blooms”