Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Though widely considered a pesky weed, the name dandelion has a majestic meaning: it comes from Anglo-French dent de lion which literally means "lion's tooth" because of its sharply indented leaves.

The name for this delicate flower is deeper than it seems: the word pansy is related to the word pensive. It comes from Middle French pensée meaning "thought," from the past participle of penser "to think," and ultimately from Latin pensare "to ponder."

Borrowed from Greek azaléā, the feminine of azaléos, azalea means literally "dry, parched, withered." Apparently this flowering shrub was given its name because of its ability to thrive in a dry climate.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the soft, fluffy flowers called carnations? Probably not flesh. But the word carnation actually comes from Middle French, from Old Italian carnagione, from carne meaning "flesh." It is related to words like carnage and carnivore. Why is a flower named after flesh? Because of the fleshy hues of some varieties.

The name of the cup-shaped tulip comes from the Turkish word tülbent which means "turban." The flower got its name from the resemblance of its overlapping petals to the folds of fabric in a turban, a headdress worn chiefly in countries of the eastern Mediterranean and southern Asia.

Daisy is from Old English dægesēage, from dæg meaning "day" and ēage meaning "eye." This is because the flower opens or "wakes" in the morning and closes or "sleeps" at night. The ray-like appearance of the daisy as it wakes and sleeps with the sun reminds one of an eye that opens in the morning and closes at night.

The name of this frondy flowerless plant comes from Old English fearn which is related to a Sanskrit word parṇa meaning "wing," probably from the shape of its fronds.

The hydrangea, a popular flowering shrub, gets its name not from the shape of its flowers or leaves, but from the shape of its seed pods: from Greek hydr- meaning "water" and angeîon meaning "vessel, container," the name refers to the cup-like capsules that hold its seeds.

The calendula, a plant in the daisy family, probably gets its name from Italian calendola "the plant Calendula officinalis," from calenda "first day of the month" because it blooms monthly. Another name for the calendula is pot marigold. Most of the flowers we call marigolds, however, belong to a different genus within the daisy family. Marigold comes from Middle English Mary (mother of Jesus) and gold, in recognition of Mary, and for the golden color of the flowers.

The pretty petunia with its trumpet shaped flowers gets its name from the Tupi word petí̵ma which means "tobacco." While petunias are ornamental and the tobacco plant is grown for its leaves, the two plants are botanically related.