Flowers...

Found out some amazing facts about famous varieties of flowers while browsing ........

Anemones were called wind flowers by the Greeks because they grow on windy slopes. Another derivation is from the Persian 'Naamen' which is the Persian for Adonis.
It is said that Venus fell in love with Adonis when he was born. She tried to protect him from harm but was forced to share him with Persephone by Zeus. One day, Adonis was hunting a wild boar and it turned around and killed him. Venus arrived in time to hold him in her arms as he died. Some say that this flower sprang from his blood or Venus's tears. It is a symbol of protective love.

Bougainvillea was named after a a person, Louis Antoine de Bougainvillea who was commissioned by Louis XV to circumnavigate the world and obtain any unclaimed territory. It was actually the botanist Philibert Commerson who discovered and named this flower in honor of his employer who invited him on the trip.

Chrysanthemum Comes from the Greek words for gold and flower. It was very popular in China for 2500 years. A 4th century poet T'ao Yuna-Ming had a garden of these to which he preferred retiring to instead of accepting a high government post. It was considered as one of the four noble plants along with - the bamboo, orchid and plum. In A.D. 400 Zen Buddhist monks took this flower to Japan where it became the symbol of the ruling dynasty The Mikado. The symbol looked remarkably like the Rising Sun but was in fact a 16-petalled Chrysanthemum.

Daffodils are also called 'narcissi' and 'jonquil' which comes from 'rush' in Spanish. Legend says that a beautiful youth Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection and then drowned in it. According to Greek myth he was turned into this flower.

Forget-me-not comes from the Old French "ne m'oubliez mye" which was the translation of the German "vergiss mich nicht". The legend is that a German knight picked up a posy of them for his beloved and was strolling by the riverbank with her when he suddenly slipped into the river and died. His last words were, "Vergis mich nicht!"
This is also the most commonly placed flower on Valentine cards.

Hyacinth derives its name from Mythology. Hyacinth was a beloved boy of Apollo. Once they were playing quoits when he ran forward to catch the discus and died of an injury when it hit his head. Maybe Zephyr, the God of the Wind was jealous of him and had the wind make the disc hit him. A flower sprang from his head which was named after him.

Lavender comes from the Latin to wash. It was used to make perfumes and soaps. The Greeks recommended that we "lay clothes in lavender". Ironically, A Lavender marriage is a term coined to describe a marriage between a man and a woman, in which one or both parties are, or are assumed to be homosexual. Usually, but not always, both parties are assumed to be complicit in a public deception to hide their homosexuality.

Poinsettia is named after Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsettia, the US ambassador to the new Republic of Mexico from 1825-1829. He was also an avid botanist and horticulturist and was responsible for introduction of various plants and trees in Mexico and the US. He was also one of the founders of the Smithsonian. Poinsettia is a popular winter flower since it grows when days are short and nights long.

Tulips was introduced to Europe by Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq who was the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire to Suleiman the Magnificent of Turkey. The Tulip is the national flower of Iran and Turkey, and Tulip motifs feature prominently in Persian and Turkish folk arts. Its Name is a result of the latinization of the Arabic "dulband". The European name for the flower is a misuse of the Persian word for turban, a mistake probably originating in the common Turkish custom of wearing these flowers in the folds of the turban. Unofficially, the flower is also emblematic of a European country,the Netherlands. For instance, in an annual gesture of gratitude to Canada for liberating the nation from the Nazis in World War II, a supply of tulips is sent to be planted in Canada's national capital in Ottawa.

Quote :

"Uncommon beauty is commonly overlooked"
- From the movie "Wicker Park"