Jump to content

List of plants with symbolism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Plant symbolism)

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

Various folk cultures and traditions assign symbolic meanings to plants. Although these are no longer commonly understood by populations that are increasingly divorced from their rural traditions, some meanings survive. In addition, these meanings are alluded to in older pictures, songs and writings. New symbols have also arisen: one of the most known in the United Kingdom is the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance of the fallen in war.

List

[edit source]

A

[edit source]

B

[edit source]

C

[edit source]

D

[edit source]

E

[edit source]

F

[edit source]

G

[edit source]

H

[edit source]


I

[edit source]

J-K

[edit source]

L

[edit source]

M

[edit source]

N

[edit source]

O

[edit source]

P-Q

[edit source]

R

[edit source]

S

[edit source]

T

[edit source]

V

[edit source]

W

[edit source]

X-Z

[edit source]


See also

[edit source]

Notes

[edit source]

References

[edit source]
  1. ↑ "This Flower has not been proven to exist Secretflowerlanguage.com (2021)".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 The Language of Flowers: An Alphabet of Floral Emblems (1857). London: T. Nelson and Sons. 1857.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Hageneder, Fred (2005). The meaning of trees : botany, history, healing, lore. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 Dumont, Henrietta (1851). The language of flowers; The floral offering; a token of affection and esteem; comprising the language and poetry of flowers. Philadelphia: H. C. Peck & Theo. Bliss.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 "Flower Meanings". AllFlorists. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 Burke, L. (1865). The Miniature Language of Flowers. London: George Routledge and Sons.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 Flowers, their language, poetry, and sentiment, with choicest extracts from poets : a dictionary of the sentiment of every flower, botanical descriptions, &c. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates. 1870.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 Folkard, Richard (1892). Plant lore, legends, and lyrics. Embracing the myths, traditions, superstitions, and folklore of the plant kingdom. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company. pp. 185–188.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 Turner, Cordelia (1884). Cyclopedia of practical floriculture. New York: Townsend Mac Coun.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Caneva, Giulia (2014). "Big Messages in Small Details: Nature in Roman Archaeology". Economic Botany. 68 (1): 109–115. Bibcode:2014EcBot..68..109C. doi:10.1007/s12231-013-9256-1. JSTOR 43304400. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Atsma, Aaron. "Flora 1: Plants of Greek Myth". Theoi. Theoi Project. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 Fărcaş, Camelia; Cristea; Farcas; Ursu; Roman (2015). "THE SYMBOLISM OF GARDEN AND ORCHARD PLANTS AND THEIR REPRESENTATION IN PAINTINGS (I)". Contribuţii Botanice. 50 (50): 189–200. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 The language of flowers; with a complete vocabulary, and a new selection of quotations from the English poets, illustrating the sentiment and meaning attached to the various flowers and plants, together with flower language in bouquets. Ward, Lock, and Tyler. 1877. pp. 18–118.
  14. ↑ "The Rose And The Amaranth". Mythfolklore.net. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  15. ↑ P., Rebekah (17 April 2020). "Amaryllis Flower Meaning and Symbolism". Florgeous. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Deas, Lizzie (1898). Flower Favourites: Their Legends, Symbolism and Significance. London: Chiswick Press.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Monaghan, Patricia (2004). The encyclopedia of Celtic mythology and folklore. New York: Facts On File. ISBN 978-0-8160-4524-2. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Choudhary, Ajoy Kumar; Kumar, Anand; Kumari, Priyanka; Kumari, Swati; Kumar, Rohit; Ranjan, Rajiv; Khan, Imran (23 August 2025). "Bamboo: A Symbol of Tradition, Faith and Climate Resilience". Applied Sciences Research Periodicals. 3: 192–214. doi:10.63002/asrp.304.1051.
  19. ↑ "Bellflower (Campanula) Meaning: Symbolism Of Gratitude & Fairy Folklore". December 7, 2025.
  20. ↑ Prager, Sarah (29 January 2020). "Four Flowering Plants That Have Been Decidedly Queered". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Campos, Regina. "THE LEGEND OF THE CEMPASÚCHIL FLOWER". Mercadito.
  22. ↑ Romo, Vanessa (30 October 2021). "Why marigolds, or cempasúchil, are the iconic flower of Día de los Muertos". NPR.
  23. ↑ Kandeler, Riklef; Ullrich, Wolfram R. (2009). "Symbolism of plants: examples from European-Mediterranean culture presented with biology and history of art". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (14): 3973–3974. ISSN 0022-0957. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Zong, Fang (23 October 2020). "Four Noble Plants in Chinese Culture Part 4: Chrysanthemum". Stories from the Museum Floor. Manchester Museum.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kandeler, Riklef; Ullrich, Wolfram R. (2009). "Symbolism of plants: examples from European-Mediterranean culture presented with biology and history of art". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (6): 1535–1536. ISSN 0022-0957. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  26. 1 2 Kandeler, Riklef; Ullrich, Wolfram R. (2009). "Symbolism of plants: examples from European-Mediterranean culture presented with biology and history of art". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (12): 3297–3299. ISSN 0022-0957. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  27. 1 2 Kandeler, Riklef; Ullrich, Wolfram R. (2009). "Symbolism of plants: examples of European-Mediterranean culture presented with biology and history of art". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (1): 6–8. ISSN 0022-0957.
  28. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Kirkby was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. 1 2 3 4 Lehner, Ernst; Lehner, Johanna (1960). Folklore and symbolism of flowers, plants and trees. New York: Tudor Pub. Co. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Eyebright Plant meaning". Flora Ritualis. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  31. ↑ Thomas, Vivian and Fair lots, Nicki, Shakespeare's Plants and Gardens: A Dictionary (Arden Shakespeare Dictionaries), Bloomsbury Academic (London) 2014, p. 85
  32. ↑ "Foxglove Symbolism and the Meaning of Foxgloves in the Language of Flowers". Livingartsoriginals.com. 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  33. ↑ Solórzano, Andrés Triana (28 April 2023). "Plant of the Month: Hibiscus". JSOR Daily. JSTOR. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  34. ↑ "flowers with negative meanings". Harvestindoor.com. 15 January 2023.
  35. 1 2 3 4 Kandeler, Riklef; Ullrich, Wolfram R. (2009). "Symbolism of plants: examples from European-Mediterranean culture presented with biology and history of art". Journal of Experimental Botany. 60 (4): 1067–1068. ISSN 0022-0957.
  36. 1 2 3 Giesecke, Annette (1 January 2022). Mabberley, David (ed.). "Plants in Culture botanical symbolism in daily life and literature". in A Cultural History of Plants in Antiquity. 1.
  37. ↑ "LGBTQ lexicon: What's the significance of the color lavender?". Dallas News. 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  38. 1 2 Willingham, A. J. (2023-06-25). "The secret queer history of flowers". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  39. ↑ "How Lavender Became a Symbol of LGBTQ Resistance". History News Network. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  40. ↑ Smith, K. Annabelle. "When Lettuce Was a Sacred Sex Symbol". Smithsonian magizine. Smithsonian. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  41. ↑ Maser, Verena. "Beautiful and Innocent: Female Same-Sex Intimacy in the Japanese Yuri Genre". OPUS. Retrieved 16 June 2026.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Koehn, Alfred (1952). "Chinese Flower Symbolism". Monumenta Nipponica. 8 (1/2): 121–146. doi:10.2307/2383008. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Atsma, Aaron. "PLANTS & FLOWERS OF GREEK MYTH 2". www.theoi.com. Theoi Project.
  44. ↑ Candace Hunter (2010-06-20). "Nettle Myth, Folklore, History, and Magic". Thepracticalherbalist.com. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  45. ↑ "Symbols". Intersex Day. 26 October 2013.
  46. ↑ Carpenter, Morgan (24 November 2020). "Intersex Symbols".
  47. 1 2 Davis, Whitney (2005). "Decadence and the Organic Metaphor". Representations. 89 (1): 131–149. doi:10.1525/rep.2005.89.1.131. ISSN 0734-6018. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  48. ↑ Zong, Fang (28 August 2020). "Four Noble Plants in Chinese Culture Part 2: Orchid". Stories from the Museum Floor. Manchester Museum. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Greenaway, Kate (1978). Kate Greenaway's Language of flowers. New York : Gramercy Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-517-26182-8. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  50. ↑ Zong, Fang (13 March 2020). "Four Noble Plants in Chinese Culture, Part I: Plum". Stories from the Museum Floor. Manchester Museum. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  51. ↑ Zi-Ming, Sean Wang (16 February 2023). "Plant of the Month: Frangipani". JSTOR Daily. JSOR. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  52. ↑ "Poinsettia Meaning and Symbolism". Fresh Trimmings. 7 October 2024.
  53. 1 2 Alp, Demir (29 August 2025). "The Pomegranate in History and Myth". JSTOR Daily. JSTOR. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  54. ↑ Johnson-Roehr, S. N. (1 June 2022). "Plant of the Month: Poplar". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  55. ↑ Larkin, Deirdre. "The Golden Quince". blog.metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
  56. ↑ "zephyranthes". AtoZFlowers. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  57. ↑ Eidson, Jessika (25 June 2024). "Plants That Can Symbolize LGBTQIA+ Pride". Discover and Share.
  58. ↑ "Transgender Day of Remembrance". TransPonder.
  59. ↑ Friend, Hilderic (1884). Flowers and Flower Lore. London: W. S. Sonnenschein. p. 212.
  60. ↑ "Aromantic flag and symbols explained". asexuals.net.
  61. ↑ Norton, Rictor (18 November 1999). "Walt Whitman, Prophet of Gay Liberation". Gay History and Literature.
  62. ↑ "The Scottish Thistle - Why It's The Perfect National Flower". Scottish-at-heart.com. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  63. ↑ Van den Eynden, Veerle (2010). "Plants as Symbols in Scotland Today". In Pardo-de-Santayana, Manuel (ed.). Ethnobotany in the New Europe: People, Health and Wild Plant Resources. Vol. 14. pp. 239–245. doi:10.2307/j.ctt9qcqq3.16. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  64. ↑ Eidson, Jessica (25 June 2024). "Plants That Can Symbolize LGBTQIA+ Pride". Discover + Share. Missouri Botanical Garden.
  65. ↑ Eyvanaki, Ashley (29 October 2020). "Queer Objects: William Keble Martin Lily Illustration". out and about. University of Exeter. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  66. ↑ Reid, Helen (20 June 2024). "Bisexual Botany". Lincoln Park Zoo. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  67. ↑ "Mexico - Sexual orientation flags". FOTW 'Flags Of The World' Website. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  68. ↑ "The White Trillium and the Beauty of the Trinity". Baptist Spirituality. 14 February 2014.
  69. ↑ The Alyson almanac : a treasury of information for the gay and lesbian community. Boston, MA: Alyson Publications. 1989. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-932870-19-3. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  70. ↑ Doleschal, Mareike (27 May 2021). "Shakespeare's Favourite Flowers: The Violet". Shakespere Birthplace Trust. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  71. ↑ Holtermann, Callie (27 December 2023). "Why the Watermelon Emoji Is a Symbol of Support for Palestinians". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  72. ↑ "Watermelon: A slice of Palestinian resistance". Middle East Eye. 17 August 2022.
  73. ↑ Sharon, Jeremy (21 June 2023). "Activists use watermelons to protest police crackdown on Palestinian flags". The Times of Israel.
  74. ↑ "The pavilion and the watermelon: How Ukraine made its COP27 climate conference display an anti-war message". The Globe and Mail. 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  75. ↑ "Ukraine round-up: Zelensky's Kherson warning, war letters and watermelon". BBC News. 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  76. ↑ "What does Abrosexual mean?". ProudZebra. 6 January 2021.
  77. 1 2 3 "Flowers and Their Meanings: The Language of Flowers". Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Iowa State University. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  1. ↑ Kirkby, Mandy (2011). A Victorian Flower Dictionary. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-345-53296-1.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_plants_with_symbolism&oldid=1369893091"