# Help me identify these (drawn) flowers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 2, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347 "2017-09-02T19:42:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347/1 "2017-09-02T19:42:30Z")

</div>

I’ve been watching an anime series recently, and I noticed that during its opening credits, each member of its main cast is briefly framed with a shot with a flower. This is a common trick to sneak in a hint about a character’s personality or arc, using [Hanakotoba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanakotoba) (Japanese flower language). I was curious, so I’d figure I’d take a shot at trying to interpret it. Of course, that’s easier said than done when one doesn’t know crap about flowers. So, does anybody want to take a crack at attempting to identify the flowers in these shots?

Up first is [Ange](http://i.imgur.com/JyveDZR.png). I really, really badly want to identify the flowers here as [Sumire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_mandshurica), despite the fact the number of petals is wrong, as my working theory hinges on this identification.

Next comes [Beatrice](https://imgur.com/no1cLT8) with a heavily stylized flower. At first I was tempted to conclude that this wasn’t intended to represent a flower (you can make an argument that this fits given her background), but I’ve tentatively identified it as a [peony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony).

Last we have [Dorothy](https://imgur.com/IIM9f0W), and this one completely mystifies me. The flower looks an awful lot like a daffodil, but I hate that interpretation for three reasons. First, the number of petals is incorrect. Second, the leaves on the stem are completely wrong for a daffodil. Third, I can’t come up with a coherent interpretation of a daffodil in hanakotoba that fits the character.

The [bonus round](https://imgur.com/fAsr79J) doesn’t contain any characters at all, and I’m not sure that this cut is actually meaningful. However, just in case I’ll throw it in. The red flower on the right is clearly a poppy. The yellow flower in front appears to be a buttercup. The white flower at the top left is giving me trouble. I’m tempted to call it a daisy, but the petals are too short and the middle is too big. Any other ideas?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347/2 "2017-09-02T22:33:35Z")

</div>

Ange’s flower looks like a blue campanula, similar to  
[these](https://www.google.com/search?&bih=202&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=campanula+blue+clips&oq=campanula+blue+clips).

Most of the blossoms have 5 petals fused at the base, but it’s not unusual to have 6 petals.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347/3 "2017-09-02T22:38:45Z")

</div>

Dorothy’s looks like a top-down view of a hybrid columbine, like [these](https://www.google.com/search?bih=202&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=columbine+chrysantha).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-these-drawn-flowers/795347/4 "2017-09-02T22:43:20Z")

</div>

> [@Rysto](#):
>
> Up first is [Ange](http://i.imgur.com/JyveDZR.png). I really, really badly want to identify the flowers here as [Sumire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_mandshurica), despite the fact the number of petals is wrong, as my working theory hinges on this identification.

It certainly doesn’t appear to be a violet to me. Not only is the number of petals wrong, but Ange’s flowers are radially symmetrical, and violets are asymmetrical.
