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Rosa rubiginosa

(Sweet Briar Rose, Eglantine)

Image from English Botany, or Coloured figures of English botany (v.3, 1864) by James Sowerby

History and Etymology: Sweet briar roses are native to parts of Europe and Asia. It's gotten to many other places, and is deemed an invasive species by many, due to how fast it spreads. Portugal actually considers it as an endangered species! There are many derived meanings of "sweet briar", from many different languages such as Old French and Vulgar Latin. All of them essentially come down to meaning "prickly" and "sweet".

Flower Symbolism: The Sweet briar rose most often means "I wound to heal". It also carries meaning of poetry, simplicity, and royalty.

Fun Facts:

This flower is called sweet, because it smells like apples!

Eglantine flowers grow a fruit! They're called rose hips, and they were eaten by British soldiers during WWII for their vitamins.

I actually didn't think this would be the same genus as typical roses! Eglantines only have five petals that barely overlap each other, but they are certainly in the same genus as typical roses!

Sources Below

Image: English Botany, or Coloured figures of English botany (v.3, 1864, pg 211) by James Sowerby History and Etymology: Wikipedia Rosa rubiginosa page Etymonline, "Eglantine" Flower Symbolism: Dale Harvey's Meaning of Flowers. From the Wayback Machine Fun Facts: Wikipedia Rosa rubiginosa page

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Myosotis Genus

(Forget-Me-Not, Scorpion Grass)

Image from English Botany, or Coloured figures of British Plants, by James Sowerby

History and Etymology: Myosotis flowers are often in a baby blue color, but the petals can also be in pinks or yellows. They are in many places within the Northern Hemisphere, mostly within Europe and Asia. There are a couple species within the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, but there are many more native species where they originate. The word "myosotis" is Ancient Greek for "mouse ears", as the petals have a similar shape to them.

Flower Symbolism: Myosotis symbolizes true love, hope, constancy of love, and of course, remembrance, often simply listed as "forget me not". There's not much variation found for this flower, as the name of it alone explains the most common meaning.

Fun Facts:

There are 156 recognized species of Myosotis, but there are over 500 on record! Many of the ones that are not "official" are either hybrids of other species, or simply different names for them.

Forget-Me-Nots are taken as a symbol of many things. It's the official flower of Alaska and Dalsland, Sweden. It's used as remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, the Freemasons that were targeted during WWII, and several other tragedies.

While it's the same meaning, there's a German folktale that provided them with the flowers symbolism: a German knight had been fallen into a river when picking flowers for his lady, and he said the words "forget-me-not!" before he was drowned.

Sources Below:

Image: James Sowerby's English botany, or Coloured figures of British plants, 1863 pg 290 History and Etymology: Wikipedia's Myosotis genus page Flower Symbolism: Dale Harvey's Meanings of Flowers, captured by the Wayback Machine Fun Facts: Wikipedia's Myosotis genus page

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Ambrosia artemisiifolia

(Ambrosia, ragweed)

(Image by watercolor botanical artist Sue Abonyi, found on artwanted.com, uploaded 28 Nov 2007)

History and Etymology: This plant was named after another genus of flowers, Artemisia. These plants are similar, however Ragweed is... a weed plant. The word "ambrosia" is most known for being referred to as the food of the gods in several mythologies, perhaps most famously Greek mythology.

Flower Symbolism: The common meaning for this flower is returned love. Sometimes it is still symbolized as the food of the gods, of something that provides immortality, and is not worthy of mortals.

Fun Facts:

The word "ragweed" comes from "ragged" and "weed", due to the shape of the plant's leaves.

It is very common to be allergic to the pollen from ragweed, especially in the summer.

Ragweed is native to both North and South Americas, and has been introduced to Europe, Asia, and Africa over the centuries. Native American populations used to use this plant in medicine. hiii vani

Sources Below

Image: Sue Abonyi from Art Wanted.com History: Ambrosia artemisiifolia Wikipedia Etymology: Etymonline Flower Symbolism: Dale Harvey's Meanings of Flowers (from the Wayback machine) Fun Facts: Ambrosia artemisiifolia Wikipedia

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Lavendula genus

Lavender

Image by James Sowerby from from William Woodville and Sir William Jackson Hooker's 'Medical Botany' 1832

History and Etymology: Lavender is native to the Old World, found commonly around the Mediterranean coasts and parts of Asia and the Middle East, as the plant prefers a drier climate. The word "lavender" might stem from two origins, the first of which would be from the phrase "to wash" in the romantic languages, as lavender is commonly used in baths. The second origin would be from "livid" dating to the 15th century, as the word at the time also referred to a bluish-purple color.

Flower Symbolism: Lavender could have very many meanings depending on the context. It could symbolize luck and loyalty, but also distrust and sadness. Not to mention the common symbolism of calmness and healing, due to its physical properties.

Fun Facts:

Lavender has been used for dozens of purposes, over the centuries. Most commonly it has its oils extracted to use for aromatherapy. Lavender is also a somewhat common herb in the kitchen (I personally LOVE lavender honey and lavender-rosemary bread).

There are over 30 known species of Lavendula, some of which came around naturally, and others that were bred. As lavender spread around the world, in some locations it is considered invasive.

"Lavender" is a word very much taken in by the queer community, especially in the olden days. Terms such as lavender marriage and lavender lads were flowery ways of sharing one's queerness on a level of secrecy.

Sources listed below

Image: Meisterdrucke Prints, image by James Sowerby History: Lavandula Wikipedia Etymology: Etymonline Flower Symbolism: Dale Harvey's Flower Meanings Fun Facts: Lavendula wiki

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Narcissus genus

Daffodils !!

Image from Wiliam Curtis' Botanical Magazine, Vol 2

History and Etymology: Daffodils are said to have been used in medicine since ancient times, however our first known description of the flower was in 1753even being scientifically named by ancient scholars. The genus' name would lead people to believe the plant has a connection to the Greek myth of Narcissus, although this isn't necessarily true. However, "daffodil" does take is origin from the Greek word (and mythological location) "asphodel".

Flower Symbolism: There are many listed meanings of daffodils, however most of them do follow a similar positive meaning. Specific meanings are listed such as respect and sunshine, but the flower is also a sign of unrequited love. Do to the forged connection to Narcissus from Greek mythology, the flower can also sometimes have negative connotations of deceit and self-absorbed behavior.

Fun Facts:

A lot of the negative mood surrounding this flower is due to Narcissus, a figure from Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection. Some versions of the myth tell that he was killed and turned into a flower (daffodil) by the gods.

Daffodils are perennials, meaning the plants bloom in the spring and summer, before "dying" in the autumn. These plants remain alive underground, and come back in the spring.

There are many subsections of the Narcissus genus, lower classifications and species with other well-known names, such as Narcissus triandrus, otherwise known as Ganymede triandrus, and the subspecies Hermione.

Sources Bellow

Image: Curtis' Botanical Magazine, Vol 2. High qual. image from Antique Print Club History and Etymology: Narcissus Wiki, Etymonline Flower Symbolism: Dale Harvey's Meaning of Flowers Fun Facts: Narcissus Wiki

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Convallaria majalis

(Lily of the Valley)

(Image by William Curtis from the Flora londinensis, 1777)

History and Etymology: The common name of this flower is said to be originated from the second Song of Songs from the Hebrew Tanakh. Although every part of the plant is poisonous, it has been noted to be used for medicinal purposes several times throughout history.

Flower Symbolism: The most common meaning of this flower is "return of happiness". Sometimes there's more positive meanings tacked on, such as humility, love, and general happiness.

Fun Facts:

Lily of the Valley is known to have a sweet smell, so it is used in perfumes often.

Some other common names for this flower are Mary's Tears, Our Lady's Tears, and May Bells.

There are several subspecies of this flower, and some which are specifically bred for their appearance. There are some pink variations, and even some where the plant produces double the amount of flowers on the stem.

Sources Below

Image: Flora Iodiniensis History and Etymology: Lily of the Valley Wiki, Song of Songs Wiki Symbolism: Dale Harvey Meaning of Flowers Index Fun Facts: Lily of the Valley Wiki

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any information about belladonna?

Atropa belladonna

(Belladonna or Deadly Nightshade)

(Image by William Curtis from the Flora Lodinensis, 1777)

History and Etymology: Atropa belladonna was named by Carl Linnaeus, the man who invented our current system of naming organisms. It was named for one of the Greek fates, Atropos, the sister who cut the string of life. "Belladonna," meaning "beautiful women," was used due to the plant's recreational use for cosmetics in the renaissance.

Flower Symbolism: While the plant itself is widely known for being a poison, the symbolism behind it is often not aligned with its use. Meanings of belladonna are often silence or sleep, which can still be attributed to death and poisoning, but I digress.

Fun Facts:

During the renaissance and as early recorded as the days of Cleopatra, women may have added the juice of belladonna berries to eyedrops in order to dilate the pupils more.

Along with being extremely poisonous, belladonna was also used as an anesthetic through the Roman and Islamic empires.

Belladonna is listed as being the weapon of choice for several murders and assassinations throughout history, namely Roman emperors Augustus and Claudius by each of their wives.

Sources below

Image: Biodiversity Heritage Library copy of Flora Lodinensis History and Etymology: Atropa belladonna Wiki and Etymonline Flower Symbolism: Dale Harvey Meaning of Flowers index Fun facts: Atropa belladonna Wiki

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Helenium autumnale

Sneezeweed

Image from Thomas Meehan's The Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States

History and Etymology: Helenium was named after Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and the human Leda, who was a focal figure in the Illiad. The common name "Sneezeweed" derives from the plant's use in making herbal tobaccos, or "snuff".

Flower Language: The most common meaning of Helenium is "tears". Kind of upsetting! Other sources also list overcoming adversity, and resilience.

Fun Facts:

The meaning "tears" is derived from Greek mythology. Helenium was thought to have sprung from the ground from Helen's tears.

There are a few overarching genus of Heleniums, all of which look remarkably similar to sunflowers!

Sneezeweed is a garden favorite in many parts of the U.S. It's native to areas like Wisconsin and other damp places.

Sources Below

Image: The Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States, Thomas Meehan. History and Etymology: Helenium Wikipedia, Etymonline Flower Language: Dale Harvey's Meaning of Flowers Fun Facts: Helenium Wikipedia