The Language of Flowers

Raspberry (Rubus) … Remorse

Redbud (Cercis) … Betrayal

Rhododendron (Rhododendron) … Beware

Rhubarb (Rheum) … Advice

Rose, burgundy (Rosa) … Unconscious beauty

Rose, moss (Rosa) … Confession of love

Rose, orange (Rosa) … Fascination

Rose, pale peach (Rosa) … Modesty

Rose, pink (Rosa) … Grace

Rose, purple (Rosa) … Enchantment

Rose, red (Rosa) … Love

Rose, white (Rosa) … A heart unacquainted with love

Rose, yellow (Rosa) … Infidelity

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) … Remembrance

Saffron (Crocus sativus) … Beware of excess

Sage (Salvia officinalis) … Good health and long life

Saint-John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum) … Superstition

Saxifraga (Saxifraga) … Affection

Scabiosa (Scabiosa) … Unfortunate love

Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) … Change

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) … Presumption

Snowdrop (Galanthus) … Consolation and hope

Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) … Parental affection

Speedwell (Veronica) … Fidelity

Spirea (Spiraea) … Victory

Star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) … Purity

Starwort (Stellaria) … Welcome

Stephanotis (Stephanotis floribunda) … Happiness in marriage

Stock (Malcolmia maritima) … You will always be beautiful to me

Stonecrop (Sedum) … Tranquility

Strawberry (Fragaria) … Perfection

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) … False riches

Sweet briar (Rosa rubiginosa) … Simplicity

Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) … Delicate pleasures

Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) … Gallantry

Tansy (Tanacetum) … I declare war against you

Thistle, common (Cirsium) … Misanthropy

Thrift (Armeria) … Sympathy

Thyme (Thymus) … Activity

Trachelium (Trachelium) … Neglected beauty

Trillium (Trillium) … Modest beauty

Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) … Fame

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) … Dangerous pleasures

Tulip (Tulipa) … Declaration of love

Turnip (Brassica rapa) … Charity

Verbena (Verbena) … Pray for me

Vetch (Vicia) … I cling to thee

Violet (Viola) … Modest worth

Wallflower (Cheiranthus) … Fidelity in adversity

Water lily (Nymphaea) … Purity of heart

Waxflower (Hoya) … Susceptibility

Wheat (Triticum) … Prosperity

White Monte Casino (Aster) … Patience

Willow herb (Epilobium) … Pretension

Winter cherry (Physalis alkekengi) … Deception

Wisteria (Wisteria) … Welcome

Witch hazel (Hamamelis) … A spell

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) … Cure for a broken heart

Zinnia (Zinnia) … I mourn your absence

Author’s Note

When I began The Language of Flowers, I owned only one flower dictionary: The Floral Offering: A Token of Affection and Esteem; Comprising the Language and Poetry of Flowers, written in 1851 by Henrietta Dumont. It was an ancient, crumbling hardcover, with dry flowers pressed between the pages. Scraps of poetry, collected by previous owners and stored between the yellowed pages, slipped to the floor as I scanned the book for meanings.

Three chapters into Victoria’s story, I myself made the discovery of the yellow rose. In the table of contents at the beginning of Ms. Dumont’s beautiful book, the yellow rose appears as jealousy. Hundreds of pages later, in the very same book, the yellow rose appears again: this time as infidelity.

Reading through the book more carefully, I found no explanation for the discrepancy, so I went in search of additional dictionaries, hoping to determine the “correct” definition of the yellow rose. Instead, I found that the problem was not specific to the yellow rose; nearly every flower had multiple meanings, listed in hundreds of books, in dozens of languages, and on countless websites.