The sweet, ruffled face of the carnation has brought many a smile to the lips of its recipients, as one of the most popular flowers in the world. Available with both small and large blooms in a wide variety of pastel and vibrant colours, this flower finds itself in bouquets and arrangements for many cheerful occasions, such as weddings and births, and is the flower of choice for Mother’s Day. With its heady aroma often associated with the scent of cloves, a bouquet with this flower on its own or in combination with others would be a charming surprise for any recipient.
The name of the genus, Dianthus, comes from the Greek dio for ‘god’ or ‘Zeus’ and anthos for ‘flower,’ combining to literally mean ‘divine flower.’ However, there are several theories as to where the carnation itself got its name. One possibility is that the name came from the coronation or corone, as this flower was used in crowns in ancient Greece. Another theory is that the name comes from carnis or carne, for flesh, associated with the incarnation of God into flesh. It is also said that the colour pink was actually named after another earlier word for the flower, as opposed to an item being named after a colour as is more common.
The association with motherhood, and specifically Mother’s Day, came from one of the origin myths of the carnation. A Christian myth says that carnations first appeared in the world when the tears of the Virgin Mary fell upon the ground when she saw her son Jesus carrying the cross, and carnations sprung forth. However, myths dating from the Greco-Roman times suggest that the beauty of the carnation was valued long before Christian times. Legends from medieval Europe attach the flower to such occasions as marriage and childbirth.
Carnations come in a wide variety of colours, such as white, cream, yellow, light and dark pinks, red, orange, peach, purple, and a light purple which closely resembles blue and can be used in bouquets to welcome newborn boys into the world. The red carnation is said to mean admiration, making this a favorite for Valentine’s Day. A mixture of pink and white is a popular selection for newborn girls, and a gift of white carnations to a woman is said to represent a sentiment of good luck. There are also many attractive striped varieties, or varieties with a delicate shading around the edges, called ‘border’ carnations. No matter which carnation you choose, these aromatic blooms with their unique faces will be received with joy by your friend or loved one.
© Flowers Online.org.uk 2007.
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