Flower meanings: the language of flowers
The popular meanings of 69 cut flowers and branches — Western flower language alongside Chinese and Japanese symbolism — with season and colours for each.
Key facts
- Flower meanings are conventions, not rules, and vary by culture.
- The same flower can be celebratory in one country and funereal in another — chrysanthemum is the classic case.
| Flower | Meaning | In season | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agapanthus | Love letters — the "flower of love" | Summer | blue, white |
| Alstroemeria | Friendship and devotion | Year-round | pink, white, yellow, orange, red, purple |
| Anemone | Anticipation | Winter, Spring | red, white, purple, pink, blue |
| Anthurium | Hospitality | Year-round | red, pink, white, green |
| Baby's breath | Innocence and everlasting love | Year-round | white, pink |
| Bamboo | Integrity and resilience; "bamboo brings news of peace" | Year-round | green |
| Bird of paradise | Freedom and joy | Year-round | orange |
| Calla lily | Purity and devotion | Year-round | white, yellow, pink, purple, orange |
| Camellia | Admiration and understated elegance | Winter | red, pink, white |
| Carnation | A mother's love and gratitude | Year-round | red, pink, white, yellow, orange, purple, green |
| Celosia | Unfading affection | Summer, Autumn | red, orange, yellow, pink |
| Chamomile | Energy in adversity | Spring, Summer | white |
| Cherry blossom | The beauty of things that pass | Spring | pink, white |
| China aster | Patience and remembrance | Summer, Autumn | purple, pink, white, blue, red |
| Chrysanthemum | Longevity and nobility in East Asia; white and yellow are also flowers of mourning | Autumn | white, yellow, pink, purple, red, orange, green |
| Cornflower | Delicacy and meeting happiness | Spring, Summer | blue, pink, white |
| Cosmos | Harmony and modesty | Summer, Autumn | pink, white, red |
| Cotton stems | Cherish the people beside you | Autumn | white |
| Crabapple blossom | Prosperity for the household, in Chinese tradition | Spring | pink, white |
| Dahlia | Elegance and dignity | Summer, Autumn | red, pink, orange, yellow, white, purple |
| Daisy (marguerite) | Innocence | Spring, Summer | white, yellow, pink |
| Delphinium | Lightness and an open heart | Spring, Summer | blue, purple, white, pink |
| Dendrobium orchid | Fatherly love and strength — a Father's Day flower in some regions | Year-round | white, purple, pink, green |
| Forsythia | Anticipation | Spring | yellow |
| Freesia | Innocence and friendship | Winter, Spring | white, yellow, pink, purple, red |
| Gardenia | Purity and secret love | Summer | white |
| Gerbera daisy | Cheerfulness | Year-round | red, pink, white, yellow, orange |
| Gladiolus | Strength of character; "rising step by step" in Chinese | Summer, Autumn | red, pink, white, yellow, orange, purple, green |
| Globe amaranth | Unfading love | Summer, Autumn | purple, pink, white, red |
| Holly | Christmas, protection and good luck | Winter | red, green |
| Hyacinth | Constancy and rebirth | Winter, Spring | blue, purple, pink, white |
| Hydrangea | Gratitude and abundance | Summer | blue, pink, white, purple, green |
| Iris | Faith, hope and good news | Spring, Summer | blue, purple, white, yellow |
| Ivy | Fidelity — a traditional wedding foliage | Year-round | green |
| Jasmine | Sweetness, purity and fidelity | Summer | white |
| Lavender | Calm and devotion | Summer | purple |
| Lilac | First love | Spring | purple, white, pink |
| Lily | Purity; in Chinese weddings, "a hundred years of harmony" | Year-round | white, pink, yellow, orange, red |
| Lily of the valley | The return of happiness | Spring | white |
| Lisianthus | Appreciation and sincere, unchanging love | Year-round | white, pink, purple, green |
| Lotus | Purity — rising unstained from the mud | Summer | pink, white |
| Lotus pod | Many children and blessings | Summer, Autumn | green |
| Magnolia | Nobility and purity | Spring | white, pink, purple |
| Marigold | Longevity in China; the flower of Día de los Muertos in Mexico and of festival garlands in India | Summer, Autumn | orange, yellow |
| Myrtle | Love and marriage — a traditional sprig in royal wedding bouquets | Year-round | green |
| Narcissus (daffodil) | New beginnings; good fortune at Lunar New Year in China | Winter | yellow, white |
| Orchids (cut) | Refinement and elegance | Year-round | white, pink, purple, yellow, green |
| Osmanthus | Honour and success; the scent of the Mid-Autumn Festival | Autumn | yellow, orange, white |
| Peach blossom | Luck in love and prosperity — a Lunar New Year staple in southern China | Spring | pink, white, red |
| Peony (herbaceous) | Romance and a happy marriage | Spring | pink, white, red |
| Pine | Longevity and steadfastness | Year-round | green |
| Plum blossom | Resilience — one of the "three friends of winter" | Winter | pink, white, red |
| Poppy | Remembrance and consolation | Spring | red, orange, yellow, white, pink |
| Protea | Courage and transformation | Winter, Spring | pink, white, red |
| Pussy willow | "Silver stays": money kept in the household, a Lunar New Year wish | Winter, Spring | silver-grey |
| Ranunculus | Radiant charm | Winter, Spring | pink, white, yellow, orange, red, purple |
| Rose | Love and romance | Year-round | red, pink, white, yellow, orange, purple, green |
| Snapdragon | Graciousness; in southern China, "gold to spare" at New Year | Spring | white, pink, yellow, orange, red |
| Statice | Remembrance | Year-round | purple, blue, pink, white, yellow |
| Stock (Matthiola) | Lasting beauty and bonds of affection | Winter, Spring | white, pink, purple, yellow |
| Sunflower | Adoration, loyalty and optimism | Summer | yellow, orange |
| Sweet pea | Blissful pleasure and a fond goodbye | Spring | pink, purple, white, red |
| Tree peony | Wealth and honour — the "king of flowers" in China | Spring | pink, red, white, yellow, purple |
| Tulip | A declaration of love | Winter, Spring | red, pink, white, yellow, orange, purple |
| Water lily | Purity | Summer | white, pink, yellow, purple, blue |
| Wheat ears | Harvest and prosperity — a good-luck stem in Chinese shop-opening gifts | Summer | yellow |
| Winterberry | Longing and remembrance; good fortune at Chinese New Year | Autumn, Winter | red, orange |
| Wisteria | Welcome and long life | Spring | purple, white |
| Zinnia | Thoughts of absent friends | Summer, Autumn | red, pink, orange, yellow, white, green, purple |
Meanings shift with colour and number as well: Flower colour meanings across cultures · How many flowers to give: meanings and taboos by culture · Birth month flowers · Wedding anniversary flowers by year
FAQ
Which flowers mean love?
Rose (Love and romance); Tulip (A declaration of love); Peony (herbaceous) (Romance and a happy marriage); Lisianthus (Appreciation and sincere, unchanging love); Globe amaranth (Unfading love); Agapanthus (Love letters — the "flower of love").
Which flowers say thank you?
Carnation (A mother's love and gratitude); Hydrangea (Gratitude and abundance); Lisianthus (Appreciation and sincere, unchanging love); Dahlia (Elegance and dignity).
Which flowers mean remembrance or sympathy?
Chrysanthemum (Longevity and nobility in East Asia; white and yellow are also flowers of mourning); Statice (Remembrance); Poppy (Remembrance and consolation); China aster (Patience and remembrance).
Which flowers bring luck in Chinese tradition?
Tree peony (Wealth and honour — the "king of flowers" in China); Peach blossom (Luck in love and prosperity — a Lunar New Year staple in southern China); Pussy willow ("Silver stays": money kept in the household, a Lunar New Year wish); Narcissus (daffodil) (New beginnings; good fortune at Lunar New Year in China); Bamboo (Integrity and resilience; "bamboo brings news of peace"); Crabapple blossom (Prosperity for the household, in Chinese tradition); Gladiolus (Strength of character; "rising step by step" in Chinese); Anthurium (Hospitality).
Are flower meanings the same everywhere?
No. Most "meanings" come from Victorian flower dictionaries, Chinese homophones and poetry, or modern gifting culture, and the same flower can carry opposite messages: chrysanthemums are cheerful gifts in the US and funeral flowers in East Asia and much of Europe.