What do the flowers you send mean? The mythical meaning of flowers

Sending flowers to someone is a delicate matter. It is not the same to send flowers to your friend, to your mother, to your lover or best of all, to your enemies. Flowers are a true expression of emotion; in times of sadness and sorrow, people purchase flowers to show their support and sympathy. Other people pick them up from fields, gardens or from their neighbor's house. Deciding which flowers will be the most appropriate can be very difficult. In order to choose the right ones, we need to know a little bit about the person who is going to receive them. And also about the flower itself, its origins and the myths associated with it. This is essential to communicate your feelings by sending flowers.

There are some mythical flowers that due the nature of their origin posses charismatic powers, such as the Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeriaceae). Many people often mistake this flower for an orchid, but it is not related to the lily or the orchid. Dutch flower breeders hybridized the Peruvian Lily as a garden flower and cut flower in the 20th century due to its 10 lovely and bright colors that can be seen in each stem. A contrasting combination of yellows, pinks, oranges, purples, and whites makes a the flower beautifully unique

Another mythical flower is a Larkspur (Delphinium belladonna). According to myth this species has its origin during the ancient battle at Troy. The legend says that the armor of a soldier was given to Ulysses instead of Ajax. Then he killed himself and the blood that ran from his sword blossomed into a Larkspur. The botanic name for this flower is "Delphinium belladonna" which in Ancient Greek means dolphin for the shape of it. This flower contains a beautiful mixture of bluish colors: purple, blue, pink and lavender. Many parts of this beautiful plant contain an alkaloid that it is very poisonous and harmful if eaten. It can cause death if eaten in large amounts. So we have to be careful what we do with this exotic plant.

The Daffodil, narcissus, jonquil (Narcissus) is a mythical yellow and white flower with 6 petals and the shape of a star. Greek mythology tells us how this flower came to be born. The narcissus, its botanic name, is associated with our Greek hero Narcissus, who took his name because of his beauty and pride. Narcissus had a twin sister who he fall in love with and when she died he was seeing her in his own reflection in the water. Narcissus' beauty was unique and comparable only to gods such us Bacchus or Apollo. This flower grows mainly in the Mediterranean area but it can also be found in many parts of Asia. Flower breeders have managed to develop a double and even a triple row of petals which make this flower look like a golden ball.

A very peculiar named flower is the Mum, pompon or spider mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium). Chinese mythology tells us a bit about the main qualities of this beautiful flower, which has been cultivated for more than twenty five hundred years. The Chinese use it to elaborate wine and medicines. They believed that the mum gave longevity and strength, and therefore it was a very precious flower to develop. Botanically speaking it belongs to the family of the Chrysanthemum, which in Latin means cheerfulness and optimism. In Japan there is a festival of happiness to commemorate this flower. Even NASA was studying this plant among others in order to clean air in space stations due to its quality of absorbing carbon dioxide and transforming it into oxygen. In addition to this our chrysanthemum can photosynthesized well with very little light.

Another mythical flower is the Iris (Iridaceae). The Greeks called this flower a messenger of God, the personification of a rainbow. Egyptians also painted this exotic flower on a temple in the year 1479 BC and Louis VII used it in his banner crusade, getting the name of "fleur of Louis." The French translation for the flower of Louis later became the fleur of lis. A well known symbol for Romans, Egyptians and Moors, the Victorians give it the meaning of hope and power. The myths say that the iris links the gods to humans. This plant can be found in a wide variety of environments, including cold regions and hot desserts of Europe, Asia, Africa and America. The iris has a very peculiar shape that expands from a narrow base to a wide top with three petals making a symmetrical shape. The flower has a characteristic way of pollinating that allows insects to enter and pollinate the flower without rubbing off the pollen into the stigma of the same flower.

Above we have described a few popular flowers to gift, a little bit about their origins, their relation to humans, and their various qualities. So next time you're going to give flowers to someone, think carefully about what sort of message you would you like to send. Whether you want to express love, sympathy, fear or beauty, there is always a flower that will suit your needs. It is a matter of knowing them just a little bit better in order to express what you want to say.

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