A peculiar flower that resembles Darth Vader has just bloomed at the Kyoto Botanical Garden, causing rebels in the Kyoto metropolitan area to tremble in fear. With two deep pitted areas and a smaller one in the middle, as well as a bulbous cap with curled edges, it appears the Sith Lord has been reincarnated as a flower.
While technically called aristolochia salvador platensis, “Darth Vader Flower” just rolls off the tongue. The plant originates in the humid climates of Central America, but is able to thrive in the Kyoto Botanical Garden greenhouse. The Darth Vader Flower originated as a small seedling which was brought to Kyoto in March 2001 from Setsunan University in Osaka. The pint-sized flowers only grow to about 5 cm (2 in) and bloom for only a single week. If a hostile take-over is being planned for Kyoto, the Darth Vader flowers better get going quick, they only have six more days!
Source: MSN News Japan
Images: See more pictures, Garden of Eaden, Scifi Wikia
Darth Vader Head Planetarium Lulls You to Sleep Then Haunts Your Dreams
Buy this Star Wars PC featuring Darth Vader’s ugly mug, impress your nerdy friends
Niconico Video user crafts miniature violin-playing Darth Vader out of paper just because he can
Darth Vader makes Japanese pro baseball debut with killer home run 【Video】
Darth Vader in Death Star armour brandishes lightsaber katana, joins the Samurai force in Japan
Yakuzen ramen restaurant in Tokyo is very different to a yakuza ramen restaurant
Tokyo Skytree turns pink for the cherry blossom season
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Official Evangelion emergency rations, with curry and beef bowls, are now on sale【Photos】
Experience the “Color of Water” from a 250-year-old Japanese confection maker!
Osaka establishes first designated smoking area in Dotonbori canal district to fight “overtourism”
Chinese classroom introduces roller coaster-style desks, hopes to protect kids’ eyesight
Giant hotel rooms in Osaka reflect the new non-niche face of travel in Japan.
Private booths are coming to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains even sooner than we’d thought【Video】
Bamboo trees vandalized near Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari shrine, foreign graffiti prevalent
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Is Sapporio’s Snow Festival awesome enough to be worth visiting even if you hate the snow? [Pics]
Japan has trams that say “sorry” while they ride around town…but why?
Sakura Totoro is here to get spring started early with adorable pouches and plushies
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Poop is in full bloom at the Unko Museums for cherry blossom season
Now is the time to visit one of Tokyo’s best off-the-beaten-path plum blossom gardens
Playing Switch 2 games with just one hand is possible thanks to Japanese peripheral maker
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Archfiend Hello Kitty appears as Sanrio launches new team-up with Yu-Gi-Oh【Pics】
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
What do Kamen Rider and Darth Vader have in common? They’re both in this (insane) video!
Star Wars fever continues — we try out Darth Vader boots from UGG’s Star Wars Collection!
Awesome cardboard Darth Vader costume lets you become an eco-friendly Jedi villain【Video】
Samurai Darth Vader figure and his light-katana tempt us to the dark/awesome side of the force
Life-size gold Darth Vader mask is simply dazzling… and also worth US$1.4 million! 【Pics】
If Darth Vader owned an iPhone, he’d probably keep it in a stunning wooden ukiyoe Star Wars case
Beautiful flowers bloom just one day each at 500-year-old Kyoto temple, and they’re blossoming now