Petaling the passion

<b>Flowers have different meanings, so this Valentine's Day be sure you're sending the right message.</b><br><br>Long before there was ProFlowers.com and FTD, people blushingly exchanged blooms

Monday, February 14th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Flowers have different meanings, so this Valentine's Day be sure you're sending the right message.

Long before there was ProFlowers.com and FTD, people blushingly exchanged blooms on Valentine's Day. And ages before Hallmark began printing smarmy sentiments and pagers began beeping 1-4-3 messages, passion-charged notes were passed from giver to receiver.

Sure, we have convenience on our side -- how can you beat e-mail -- but do you really know how to say "I love you" when you give someone a flower or send a bouquet?

And what if you'd rather say "I admire you" or even "I am your captive"?

Ancient myths, biblical stories and fables all assigned meaning to flowers. In the early 1700s, Charles II of Sweden started a new language to Europe when he introduced the Persian poetical art called "the language of flowers."

Floral lexicons were published throughout the 18th century, allowing secrets to be exchanged with a lily or lilac, and an entire conversation to take place in a bouquet.
So if you want to let someone know how you feel this Valentine's Day, say it with flowers.
All roses symbolize love, but certain colors of roses can take on special meanings. Here are some of the more common interpretations:

 Red - love, respect, courage, beauty, devotion
 Deep red - bashful shame
 Yellow - joy, jealousy or misplaced affection ("I love another.")
 Pink/Peach - gratitude, admiration, sympathy
 White - reverence, purity, peace, refusal ("I love you not!")
 Orange or coral - desire, enthusiasm
 Red and white - unity
 Red and yellow - happiness
 Sweetheart - darling, dear
 Single rose - simplicity
 Two roses joined together - engagement
 White rosebuds - too young for love
Among other flowers, the meanings vary, too, so here's a primer:
 Amarylis - splendid beauty
 Anemone - expectation
 Anturium - luxury, authority
 Aster - elegance
 Bluebell - humility
 Buttercup - childishness
 Cactus - endurance
 Calendula - grief, jealousy
 Camillia (white) - you are adorable
 Camillia (pink) - longing for you
 Camillia (red) - you're a flame in my heart
 Candy-tuff - indifference
 Carnation (pink) - woman's love, never forget
 Carnation (deep red) - my heart aches for you
 Carnation (yellow or white) - rue, disdain
 Carnation (striped) - refusal
 Chrysanthemum - optimism, cheerfulness
 Chrysanthemum (yellow) - slighted love
 Chrysanthemum (red) - love, sharing
 Crocus - cheerfulness
 Daffodil - regard
 Daffodil (great yellow) - chivalry
 Daisy (white) - purity, innocence, joy, loyalty
 Day lily - coquetry
 Forget-me-not - true love
 Gardenia - joy, secret love
 Gladiolous - splendid beauty
 Gloxinia - love at first sight
 Heliotrope - devotion
 Hyacinth (purple) - I am sorry, please forgive me
 Iris - I have a message for you
 Iris (yellow) - passion
 Larkspur - attachment
 Lilac - youthful innocence, first love
 Lily (white) - sweetness
 Lily (Yellow) - gaiety
 Lily of the valley - humility, happiness
 Lotus flower - estranged love
 Marigold (large-flowered) - jealousy
 Marigold (small-flowered) - never despair
 Narcissus - conceit, self-love
 Orange blossom - eternal love
 Orchid - sophistication, elegance, distinction
 Palm - devotion, great friendship
 Pansy - remembrance
 Passion flower - faith
 Peach blossom - I am your captive
 Peony - shame, happy marriage
 Petunia - anger, resentment
 Salvia (red) - passion
 Sunflower - ostentation
 Sweet pea - I think of thee
 Tulip - passion, declaration of love
 Violet - faithfulness, affection
 Zinnia - thoughts of absent friends
 Basil -- the cruelest of all -- hatred
Sources: Culled from numerous lists, most prominently Margaret Pickston's "The Language of Flowers" (Michael Joseph) and Beverly Seaton's "The Language of Flowers: A History" (University Press of Virginia, $29.50)