On Sunday, May 21, members of the Randen Line Fujibakama Project, a group of Ritsumeikan University students, faculty, and staff joined local residents and employees of Keifuku Electric Railway, gathered at the Kinugasa Campus to take cuttings of fujibakama (Fragrant Eupatorium) in an effort to increase the number of plants.

Fujibakama, which has been designated as a critically endangered species in Kyoto Prefecture, is a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family that bears many small wisteria-colored flowers. One of the so-called seven flowers of autumn, fujibakama is mentioned in classical works of literature such as the Man'yōshū (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) and has been enjoyed by people since ancient times, but in recent years, its numbers have drastically decreased due to environmental changes. Keifuku Electric Railway, which is working to greenify the areas along its lines, and Ritsumeikan University, which is involved in regional cooperation for environmental conservation*, partnered up in May 2021 to establish the Randen Line Fujibakama Project, and they have been engaged in conservation activities since then.

For three years, Ritsumeikan University has been growing fujibakama on Kinugasa Campus under the banner of "creating a town that attracts chestnut tiger butterflies,” referring to a type of butterfly that prefers fujibakama nectar. Blessed with fine weather, 84 participants, including Ritsumeikan University students, faculty, and staff, Keifuku Electric Railway employees, and local residents, gathered at the East Plaza of Kinugasa Campus for this third annual event. With thoughts in mind of the gorgeous flowers that bloom in the fall and the chestnut tiger butterflies flitting about, the participants cut fujibakama stems to make 713 pots (1,426 cuttings).

One of the participants said the event allowed them to understand the historical charm of the fujibakama and the importance of protecting the rare flowering plant.

The project team will meet again in July to transplant the cuttings into planters. Ritsumeikan and the local community will continue to work together this year to conserve the precious fujibakama.

* By undertaking activities to conserve the critically endangered fujibakama, Ritsumeikan aims to achieve SDG 15 (Life on Land) based on the recognition that working together with the community will also achieve SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).