Metal Gear Topics

The Field of Flowers
By the side of the road, I chanced upon some flowers that looked very familiar, as if I've seen them before somewhere... It took me a while, but I eventually realized that they were Ooamanas. 大甘菜, Oo-ama-na, the white flowers covering the Rokovoj Bereg area of MGS3, the site of the final battle between Naked Snake and The Boss. It is a white and lovely flower, officially named "Ornithogalum (オーニソガラム, オルニトガルム)" scientifically, and known as the "Star of Bethlehem" popularly. Even though high up to the waist in the game, in reality the plants only grow to approximately 30 centimeters (around 12 inches) in height normally, with flowers sized around 5 to 7 centimeters (around 2.5 inches) in full bloom. More commonly written as オオアマナ Ooamana, the name of the plant means "big sweet vegetable". The plant originated in Europe and Africa, and was brought into Japan around the late 明治 Meiji era. Nowadays it can be commonly seen in Tokyo and all around the Kanto region. The origin of the Japanese name of the plant came about because of its close resemblance of its flower in appearance to one of its siblings in the Lily Family (百合科), the 甘菜 Amana (sweet vegetable). The size of its bloom is bigger than that of the Amana, hence its naming of Ooamana (big sweet vegetable). The pure white flowers bloom in fair weathered days, and close in cloudy days and nights. Originally only come in the color white, with thin petals, but because of human breeding, nowadays they also come in a variety of yellows and reds, with thick wide petals. Though popular in flower shops, they can still often be seen growing naturally and healthily in areas of flat soils. The blossom period of Ooamana is from March to June. In flower language, the Ooamana flower represents "purity", "whiteness", and "clean and unsullied". It is the birth flower of February 27th. 　Kingdom = Plantae (Plants) 　　Subkingdom = Tracheobionta (Vascular Plants) 　　　Superdivision = Spermatophyta (Seed Plants) 　　　　Division = Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants) 　　　　　Class = Liliopsida Monocotyledons 　　　　　　Subclass = Liliidae 　　　　　　　Order = Liliales 　　　　　　　　Family = Liliaceae (Lily Family) 　　　　　　　　　Genus = Ornithogalum In the very beginning, the flower field of Rokovoj Bereg was envisioned as a field of sunflowers by Director Kojima, signifying a field where life cycles. A plant, to produce the next generation must blossom flowers to produce seeds, meaning when a plant blossoms flowers, it is nearing its death. After its death, the seeds it left behind will grow into the next generation, and replace the previous generation that died here. The sunflower seeds were going to be featured scattering when Snake is slammed onto the ground by The Boss. Because of the theme of the mission being developed into the struggle between black and white colors, the flower was first changed to the white colored 芥子 karashi mustard plant. Then in the end it was changed into the ooamana by the production staff, because of what the plant represented in the language of flowers. 11.8.05

The Field of Flowers

By the side of the road, I chanced upon some flowers that looked very familiar, as if I've seen them before somewhere...
It took me a while, but I eventually realized that they were Ooamanas.

大甘菜, Oo-ama-na, the white flowers covering the Rokovoj Bereg area of MGS3, the site of the final battle between Naked Snake and The Boss.

It is a white and lovely flower, officially named "Ornithogalum (オーニソガラム, オルニトガルム)" scientifically, and known as the "Star of Bethlehem" popularly.
Even though high up to the waist in the game, in reality the plants only grow to approximately 30 centimeters (around 12 inches) in height normally, with flowers sized around 5 to 7 centimeters (around 2.5 inches) in full bloom.

More commonly written as オオアマナ Ooamana, the name of the plant means "big sweet vegetable".
The plant originated in Europe and Africa, and was brought into Japan around the late 明治 Meiji era. Nowadays it can be commonly seen in Tokyo and all around the Kanto region.
The origin of the Japanese name of the plant came about because of its close resemblance of its flower in appearance to one of its siblings in the Lily Family (百合科), the 甘菜 Amana (sweet vegetable). The size of its bloom is bigger than that of the Amana, hence its naming of Ooamana (big sweet vegetable).

The pure white flowers bloom in fair weathered days, and close in cloudy days and nights.
Originally only come in the color white, with thin petals, but because of human breeding, nowadays they also come in a variety of yellows and reds, with thick wide petals.
Though popular in flower shops, they can still often be seen growing naturally and healthily in areas of flat soils.

The blossom period of Ooamana is from March to June.
In flower language, the Ooamana flower represents "purity", "whiteness", and "clean and unsullied".
It is the birth flower of February 27th.

　Kingdom = Plantae (Plants)
　　Subkingdom = Tracheobionta (Vascular Plants)
　　　Superdivision = Spermatophyta (Seed Plants)
　　　　Division = Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
　　　　　Class = Liliopsida Monocotyledons
　　　　　　Subclass = Liliidae
　　　　　　　Order = Liliales
　　　　　　　　Family = Liliaceae (Lily Family)
　　　　　　　　　Genus = Ornithogalum

In the very beginning, the flower field of Rokovoj Bereg was envisioned as a field of sunflowers by Director Kojima, signifying a field where life cycles. A plant, to produce the next generation must blossom flowers to produce seeds, meaning when a plant blossoms flowers, it is nearing its death. After its death, the seeds it left behind will grow into the next generation, and replace the previous generation that died here.
The sunflower seeds were going to be featured scattering when Snake is slammed onto the ground by The Boss.

Because of the theme of the mission being developed into the struggle between black and white colors, the flower was first changed to the white colored 芥子 karashi mustard plant.
Then in the end it was changed into the ooamana by the production staff, because of what the plant represented in the language of flowers.

11.8.05

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