Species of Japan - The Zinnia flower (Zinnia elegans)

The zinnia flower (Zinnia elegans) originated in the Americas, and a specific variety called the Profusion has both a single or double-flowered zinnia and is cultivated by Sakata of Japan, and it is a variety I often come across during my annual hanami Hokkaido nature tour.  The zinnia flowers widely vary in range from 10 to 100 cm (4 - 40 inches) tall.  The leaves on the zinnia flowers are either linear or ovate in shape, and their coloration is pale to a medium green.  The flowers themselves can be white, chartreuse, yellow, orange, red, purple, or lilac in color.  Zinnia flowers carry many different meanings, but the ones I find the most significant that pertain most to my experiences during my annual Hokkaido wildlife tour are the following: friendship, endurance, daily remembrance, and lasting affection.  These are some of the same attributes I associate with The First Nations people of Japan, the Ainu, who decorate their Ainu Kotan, their homestead, with these flowers, another symbol of their continued dedication to striking a balance with their natural surroundings and their resilience as a First Nations people.