Carnation

What the carnation means

Carnations have been cultivated for some 2,000 years, and their genus name, Dianthus, is often translated as flower of the gods. In the United States the white carnation became the emblem of Mother's Day after Anna Jarvis handed them out at the first observance in 1908; later, red came to honor living mothers and white those who had died. The Victorian language of flowers gave each color a message: pink for gratitude, red for admiration, striped for refusal. In Portugal red carnations recall the 1974 Carnation Revolution. Readings differ by country.

Flower meanings come mostly from Victorian floriography, and they vary between books, eras, and cultures.

Often sent for

• Mother's Day
• Birthday
• Thank you
• Just because

By colour

• Pink Often given for gratitude and a mother's love.
• Red Traditionally, deep love and admiration.
• White Associated with pure love and remembrance.
• Yellow Victorians read it as disappointment; now simply cheerful.
• Peach Often given for warm thanks and friendship.