Dandelion/Fleabane

Fleabane and Anemone (1978) by Yumi Matsutoya

A relaxed guide on the theme of music related to flowers and greenery.
In the third installment, we will be introducing "Dandelion/Daisy."

Both the dandelion (spring daisy) and the fleabane (princess daisy) were originally introduced to Japan as ornamental plants, but nowadays they are often seen in parks, vacant lots, and other places around town on a daily basis.
Dandelions and fleabanes have similar flowers, making them difficult to distinguish from one another, but there are some differences between them, as follows :

The difference between dandelions and fleabane

	Dandelion	fleabane
Flowering period	April to June	June to October
Petal width	Less than 1 mm	Approximately 1.5 mm
stem	There is a cavity	No cavities
Leaf attachment	It attaches to the stem as if embracing it.	Do not hug the stem
How buds form	Hanging downwards	The buds are pointing upwards
	It is short, has few large flowers, and has leaves at the base.	It is tall, has many small flowers, and has a neat base.

Regarding the name of the dandelion, according to botanist Tomitaro Makino, who is well-known from the NHK morning drama series "Ranman," "Harujion" is the standard Japanese name, but the common name "Harujoon" has become popular and is often referred to as such. There is also a flower called "Himeshion" ( Princess Elephant ), which is a completely different species from Anemone annuus .

To summarize, dandelion = dandelion ≠ anemone ≠ anemone

That's right!

Now, in the title of Yuming's song "Harujoon Himedeion," the common name "Harujoon" is used rather than the standard Japanese name "Harujion."
Maybe it's because it sounds good.
The story succinctly depicts a sad scene by a river at dusk in the summer, with daisies in full bloom, but it is a mystery why daisies do not appear in the story.

There seem to be many other songs that include Dandelion/Daniel in the title.
Please give it a listen if you have the chance.

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Fleabane and Fleabane ( Yumi Matsutoya, 1978)
Harujoen/Daisy (Masashi Sada, 1987)
Harujion (BUMP OF CHICKEN, 2001)
Princess Garden (Yuki Kadokura, 2002)
Harujoon Himejoon ~Wild Flowers~ (Iruka, 2007)
Harujion (UVERworld, 2008)
Spring Shion (ORANGE RANGE・2008)
Fleabane (Ozaki Ami, 2012)
When the Dandelions Bloom (Nogizaka46, 2016)
Harujion (YOASOBI, 2020)
etc.
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<Reference>
Fleabane and Fleabane / Yumi Matsutoya
Yumi Matsutoya Official Site

Author: Kambara Editor: Suzuki