This language of flowers was actually introduced to Europe by Lady Mary Worley Montague. She was a celebrated letter-writer and society poet. In 1716 she is known to have accompanied her husband to the Turkish Court in Istanbul. During her stay, she sent a letter to England, which interpreted the meanings of some plants, flowers, and spices. She eluded that one could send messages.
of love without ever having to "dirty" the fingers with ink. The French then took up the passing of messages via this new floral code. It did not really return to England during the reign of Queen Victoria and so, this is where the supposition that it was a Victorian English tradition came from. If you would like to see lists of flowers and their meanings please use the links below. They are alphabetized by their meaning rather than by their variety for ease of use.
A
A beauty - Orchid
A belle - Orchis
A heart ignorant of love - White rosebud
A smile - Sweet William
A token - Ox-eye daisy, Laurestina
Absence - Wormwood
Acknowledgement - Canterbury bell
Activity - Thyme
Adversity, energy in - Camomile
Admiration - Amethyst
Adoration - Dwarf sunflower
Adresses rejected - Ice plant
Advice - Rhubarb
Affectation - Morning glory
Affection - Mossy saxifrage, pear, sorrel
Affection, bonds of - Gillyflower
Affection, enduring - Gorse
Afterthought - Michaelmas Daisy
Age - Guelder rose
Agreement - Straw
Alas! For my poro heart - Deep red carnation
Always lovely - Indian double pink
Am I forgotten? - Holly
Ambition - Mountain laurel
Amiability - Jasmine
Anticipation - Gooseberry
Anxious and trembling - Red columbine
Appointed meeting - Everlasting pea
Ardent Love - Balsam
Ardor - Cuckoo plant, arum lily
Argument - Fig
Artifice - Acanthus
Assiduous to please - Sprig of ivy with tendrills
Assignation - Pimpernel
Attachment - Indian jasmine
Audacity - Larch
Austerity - Common thistle
Avarice - Scarlet auricula
Aversion - Indian single pink
B
Bantering - Southernwood
Bashful shame - Deep red rose
Bashfulness - Peony
Be mine - Four-leaved clover
Beautiful, call me not - Unique rose
Beautiful eyes - Variegated tulip
Beauty - Parti-coloured daisy, rull red rose
Beauty - Orchis
Beauty always new - China rose
Beauty and prosperity - Red-leaved rose
Beauty, capricious - Lady's slipper, musk rose
Beauty, delicate - Hibiscus
Beauty, divine - American cowslip
Beauty, lasting - Stock
Beauty, mental - Clematis
Beauty, pensive - Laburnum
Beauty, rustic - French honeysuckle
Beauty, unconscious - Burgundy rose
Beauty,unfading - Gillyflower
Belief - Passion-flower
Belle - Orchis
Benevolence - Potato
Betrayal - Judas tere
Beware - Oleander, rosebay
Beware of Excess - Saffron
Blackness - Ebony
Bluntness - Borage
Blushes - Marjoram
Boaster - Hydrangea
Boldness - Pink
Bonds - Convolvulus
Bonds of affection - Gillyflower
Bravery - Oak leaves
Bulk - Water melon, gourd
Bury me amid Nature's beauties - Persimmon
C
Call me not beautiful - Unique rose
Capricious beauty - Lady's slipper, musk rose
Change - Pimpernel
Changeable disposition - Rye grass
Charity - Turnip
Charming - Cluster of musk roses
Chaste love - Acacia
Cheerfullness in old age - American Starwort
Cheerfulness under adversity - Chrysanthemum
Childishness - Buttercup
Chivalry - Great yellow daffodil
Cleanliness - Hyssop
Coldheartedness - Lettuce
Color of my Life - Coral honeysuckle
Come down - Jacob's ladder
Comforting - Scarlet geranium
Compassion - Allspice
Concealed Love - Motherwort
Concealed merit - Coriander
Confession of love - Moss rosebud
Confidence - Lilac polyanthus
Conjugal love - Lime
Consolation - Red popppy
Cordiality - Peppermint
Counterfeit - Mock orange
Crime - Tamarisk
Criticism - Cucumber
Cure - Balm of gilead
Cure for heartache - Cranberry, swallow-wort
Curiosity - Sycamore
D
Danger - Rhododendron, monkshood
Dangerous pleasures - Tuberose
Dauntlessness - Sea lavendar
Death - Cypress
Death preferrable to loss of innocence - White rose(dried)
Deceit - Flytrap, dogsbane
Deceitful chams - Thorn-apple
Deception - White cherry
Declaration of love - Red tulip
Decrease of love - Yellow sweet-brier, yellow rose
Dejection - Lichen
Delay - Eupatorium
Delicacy - Cornflower
Delicate Beauty - Hibiscus
Departure - Sweet Pea
Despair - Cypress and marigold
Devotion - Heliotrope
Difficulties, I surmount - Mistletoe
Dignity - Cloves, laurel-leaved magnolia
Disappointment - Carolina syringa
Discretion - Lemon blossoms, maidenhair
Disdain - Yellow carnation, rue
Distinction - Cardinal flower
Distrust - Lavender
Divine beauty - American cowslip
Do me justice - Sweet chestnut tree
Do not abuse - Saffron
Domestic industry - Flax
E
Early attachment - Thornless rose
Early friendship - Blue periwinkle
Early youth - Primrose
Education - Cherry tree
Elegance and grace - Yellow jasmine
Elegance, mature - Pomegranate flower
Elevation - Scotch fir
Enchantment - Holly herb
Enduring affection - Gorse
Energy in adversity - Camomile
Envy - Crane's bill, bramble
Esteem - Garden sage
Esteem and love - Strawberry tree
Esteem but not love - Spiderwort
Estranged love - Lotus flower
Evanescent pleasure - Poppy
Excellence, perfect - Strawberry
Excellence, unpretending - Camellia japonica
Excess, beware of - Saffron
Expectation - Anemone
Expected meeting - Nutmeg, geraniums
Extent - Gourd
Extinguished hopes - Major convolvulus
Extravagance, fantastic - Scarlet poppy
Eyes, beautiful - Variegated tulip
F
Faithfulness - Blue violet, heliotrope
Falsehood - Yellow lily
Fame - Tulip
Fantastic extravagance - Scarlet poppy
Farewell - Michaelmas daisy
Fascination - Carnation, honesty
Fashion - Lady's mantle
Fate - Hemp
Feasting - Parsley
Fecundity - Hollyhock
Female ambition - White hollyhock
Female fidelity - Speedwell
Festivity - Parsley
Fickleness - Pink Larkspur
Fidelity - Veronica, Ivy, Plum Tree
Fidelity in love - Lemon blossoms
Filial love - Virgin's bower
Fine arts - Acanthus
Finesse - Sweet william
Fire, flame - Fleur-de-luce
First emotions of love - Purple lilac
Fitness - Sweet flag
Flattery - Venus' looking-glass
Flee away - Pennyroyal
Folly - Columbine
Foolishness - Pomegranate
Foresight - Holly
Forgetfulness - Moonwort
Forget me not - Forget-me-not
Forsaken - Garden anemone, laburnum
Forsaken love - creeping willow
Fraternal love - Woodbine
Freedom - Water willow
Freshness - Damask rose
Friends, thoughts of absent - Zinnia
Friendship - Rose acacia
G
Gaeity - Butterfly orchis, yellow lily
Gain - Cabbage
Gallantry - A nosegay, sweet william
Generosity - Orange tree
Generous and devoted affection - French honeysuckle
Genius - Plane tree
Gentility - Geranium, pompon rose
Girlhood - White rosebud
Gladness - Myrrh
Gladness, youthful - Spring crocus
Glory - Bay tree, laurel
Good wishes - Sweet basil
Goodness - Mercury
Gossip - Coboea
Grace - Multiflora rose
Grace and elegance - Yellow jasmine
Gracefulness - Birch tree
Grandeur - Ash tree
Grief - Harebell, marigold
H
Happiness, return of - Lily of the Valley
Happy love - Bridal rose
Hatred - Basil
Haughtiness - Purple larkspur, tall sunflower
Health - Iceland moss
Heart's mystery - Crimson polyanthus
Heartlessness - Hydrangea
Hidden worth - Coriander
Honesty - Honesty
Hope - Flowering almond, hawthorn, snowdrop
Hope extinguished - Major convolvulus
Hope in adversity - Spruce pine
Hopeless love - Yellow tulip
Hopeless, not heartless - Love-lies bleeding
Hospitality - Oak tree
Humility - Broom, small bindweed, field lilac
I
I am too happy - Cape jasmine
I am worthy of you - White rose
I am your captive - Peach blossom
I aspire to thy smile - Daily rose
I attach myself to you - Indian jamsine
I change but in death - Bay leaf
I declare against you - Liquorice
I desire a return of affection - Jonquil
I die if neglected - Laurestina
I engage you for the next dance - Ivy geranium
I feel your kindness - Flax
I have a message for you - Iris
I live for thee - Cedar leaf
I love - Red chrysanthemum
I surmount difficulties - Mistletoe
I will not answer hastily - Monthly honeysuckele
I will not survive you - Black mulberry
Imagination - Lupin
Immortality - Amaranth
Impatience - Yellow balsam
Impatient resolves - Red balsam
Inconstancy - Evening primrose
Inconstancy in love - Wild honeysuckle
Incorruptible - Cedar of lebanon
Independence - Wild plum tree, white oak
Indifference - Candytuft, mustard seed, senvy
Indiscretion - Almond tree
Ingenuous simplicity - Mouse-eared chickweed
Ingenuity - Pencil-leaved geranium
Ingratitude - Buttercup, wild ranunculus
Injustice - Hop
Innocence - White daisy, white violet
Innocence, youthful - White lilac
Insincerity - Foxglove
Insinuation - Great bindweed
Inspiration - Angelica
Instability - Dahlia
Ireland - Shamrock
J
Jealousy - French marigold, yellow rose
Jest - Southernwood
Joy - Wood sorrel
Joys to come - Celandine
Justice, do me - Sweet chestnut tree
Justice shall be done to you - Coltsfoot
K
Keep your promises - Plum tree
Knowledge, useful - Parsley
L
Lamentation - Aspen tree
Lasting beauty - Stock
Lasting pleasure - Everlasting pea
Levity, lightness - Larkspur
Life - Lucerne
Lightheartedness - Shamrock
Longevity - Fig
Love - Blue violet, myrtle, rose
Love in idleness - Wild violet
Love is dangerous - Carolina rose
Love of nature - Magnolia
Love returned - Ambrosia
Love's oracle - Dandelion
Love, a heart ignorant of - White rosebud
Love, ambassador of - Cabbage rose
Love, ardent - Balsam
Love, chaste - Acacia
Love, confession of - Moss rosebud
Love, declaration of - Red tulip
Love, estranged - Lotus flower
Love, forsaken - Creeping willow
Love, only deserve my - Campion rose
Love, platonic - Rose acacia
Love, pure and ardent - Double red pink
Love, secret - Toothwort, yellow acacia
Love, slighted - Yellow chrysanthemum
Love, sweet and secret - Honey flower
Love, the first emotions of - Purple lilac
Lovely, thou art all that is - Austrian rose
Love, true - Forget-me-not
Lowliness - Bramble
Luxury - Chesnut Tree
M
Majesty - Crown imperial, imperial lily
Malevolence - Lobelia
Marriage - Ivy geranium
Maternal affection - Cinquefoil
Maternal love - Moss rosebud
Maternal tenderness - Wood sorrel
Matrimony - American Linden
mature elegance - Pomegranate flower
Meekness - Birch tree
Meeting, an appointed - Everlasting pea
Meeting, an expected - Nutmeg, geranium
Melancholy - Dark geranium, cypress and marigold
Memory, pleasures of - White periwinkle
mental beauty - Clematis
Merit, concealed - Coriander
Merit, reward of - Bay wreath
Message - Iris
Modesty - White violet, white lilac
Modesty and purity - White lily
Momentary happiness - Virginian Spiderwort
Mourning - Weeping willow, cypress
Music - Oats, reeds
My best days are past - Meadow saffron
My compliments - Iris
My heart is in flames - Provence rose
N
Nature, love - Magnolia
Neatness - Broom, small bindweed, field lilac
Neglected beauty - Throatwort
Never ceasing remembrance - Everlasting
Night - Minor convolvulus
O
Old age - Tree of life
Only deserve my love - Campion rose
Ornament - Hornbeam tree
P
Painting - Auricula
Parental affection - Sorrell
Passion - White dittany, yellow iris
Patience - Dock, ox eye
Patriotism - Nasturtium
Peace - Olive branch
Pensive beauty - Laburnum
Pensiveness - Cowslip
Perfected loveliness - White camelia japonica
Perform your promise - Plum tree
Perplexity - Love-in-a-mist
Persecution - Chequered Fritillary
Perseverance - Canary grass, swamp magnolia
Piety, steadfast - Wild geranium
Pity - Pine
Platonic love - Rose acacia
Play - Hyacinth
Pleasant recollections - White periwinkle
Pleasure and pain - Dog rose
Pleasure, evanescent - Poppy
Pleasure, lasting - Everlasting pea
Pleasures of memory - White periwinkle
Poetry - Eglantine
Poverty - Evergreen clematis
Power - Cress
Precaution - Golden rod
Precocity - May rose
Presumption - Snapdragon
Pretension - Spiked willow herb
Prettiness - Pompon rose
Pride - Amaryllis, hundred-leaved rose
Promptness - Ten-week stock
Prosperity - Beech tree, wheat
Prudence - Mountain iash
Pure and ardent love - Double red pink
Pure and lovely - Red rosebud
Pure love - Single red pink
Purity - White lilac, Star of Bethlehem
Purity and sweetness - White lily
R
Recall - Silver-leaved geranium
Reconciliation - Filbert, hazel
Refusal - Striped carnation, variegated pink
Regard - Daffodil
Relieve my anxiety - Christmas rose
Religious superstition - Aloe, passion-flower
Remembrance - Rosemary, forget-me-not
Remorse - Bramble, raspberry
Rendezvous - Chickwee
Reserve - Maple
Resolution - Purple columbine
Restoration - Persicaria
Retaliation - Scotch thistle
Return of happiness - Lily of the valley
Revenge - Birdsfoot trefoil
reverie - Flowering gern
Reward of merit - Bay wreath
Reward of virtue - Garland of roses
Riches - Corn
Rivalry - Rocket
Rupture of a contract - Broken straw
Rural happiness - Yellow violet
Rustic beauty - French honeysuckle
Rustic oracle - Dandelion
S
Sadness - Dead leaves, yew
Safety - Traveller's joy
Satire - Prickly pear
Secret Love - Toothwort, yellow acacia
Self-esteem - Poet's narcissus
Sensitiveness - Mimosa
Sensuality - Spanish jasmine
Sentiment, warmth of - Spearmint
Separation - Carolina jasmine
Severity - Branch of thorns
Shame - Peony
Sharpness - Barberry
Shyness - Vetch
Sickness - Anemone, zephyr flower
Silence - Belladonna (deadly nightshade)
Silliness - Fool's parsley
Simplicity - American sweet-brier
Sincerity - Fern, honesty
Slander - Stinging nettle
Sleep - White poppy
Slighted love - Yellow chrysanthemum
Splendid beauty - Amarylis
Steadfast piety - Wild geranium
Stoicism - Box tree
Strength - Cedar, fennel