Discussion

Wheat is one type of grass.

Bamboo is another grass.

This is a Red-Bromeliad

Here is a soft rush.

Sedges

Sedges are grass-like flowering plants with about 5,500 species spread among 90 genera. The yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is just one of the species.

One sedge genera is Cyperus. There are about 700 species of Cyperus plants. Most grow in still or slow-moving aquatic environments. Various species can grow from 2 inches to 16 feet tall. Some have edible tubers, and others are used for spices. One Cyperus, C. giganteus, was used by the Egyptians to make papyrus, an early type of paper.

This week's painting subject is a Cyperus; specifically C. microiria. One common name for it is Asian flatsedge. It is found in Asia from the Himalayas to Japan. Japanese/English dictionaries, however, call it the umbrella plant (kayatsuri gusa in Japanese). 

The image on the right is a relatively young umbrella plant with just a single clustered flower/seed factory. As the plant matures, it branches out and creates more floral clusters as seen on the left. The plant leaves are initially very straight, but as the plant matures and approaches the end of its life cycle, the leaves begin to droop.

Here is another look.

Umbrella plants have some leaves sprouting from the base, but the stalks are bare until the whorl at the apex of the stem. 

Ohara Koson (1877 – 1945)

Koson was of a later generation of Japanese artists than Yoshitoshi, who mourned the loss of traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques, subjects, and values. He became a prominent member of the shin-hanga movement to restore them. His 1930 fox print features a more realistic creature.