From a suite: Floral calendar of Japan
Ca. 1970
Unsodo Editor

Nishiki-e

Shin hanga
Kachoe

Beautiful colors, some tiny foxing

Habotan is identical to cabbage. It is a cabbage grown for aesthetic purposes. Its leaves are crisp like a silk cape. Their color is either eggshell, snow white, or purplish red. Its peony-like blooms earn it the name habotan (literally, leaf peony). The best season to enjoy habotan is from winter to early spring, when flowers are scarce. As spring approaches, it takes on its natural form, that of greens. It was during the Tokugawa shogunate that habotan was brought to Japan. It was introduced there under the name "Oranda-na" (Dutch greens).