- Pieris japonica, the Japanese andromeda or Japanese pieris, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to eastern China, Taiwan, and Japan, where it grows in mountain thickets. This medium-sized evergreen shrub or tree is widely cultivated in gardens.
- Beta Gruis (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
BETA GRU (Beta Gruis). Below the ancient Southern Fish, Piscis Austrinus, lies the striking figure of Grus, the Crane, that for all the world looks like a great bird stalking the sky. The figure is especially captivating from the mid-northern hemisphere, where the Crane looks to be walking the horizon. At the Crane’s southern end, representing the bird’s feet, are two bright second magnitude stars, Al Nair (the Alpha star) to the west, and Beta Gruis to the east.
