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
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
