Sunflower

What the sunflower means

The sunflower's link to loyalty and adoration comes partly from the Greek myth of Clytie, a nymph said to have become a flower that followed the sun god across the sky. In the Victorian language of flowers, dwarf sunflowers meant adoration, while tall ones were sometimes read as haughtiness. Sunflowers were domesticated by Indigenous peoples of North America thousands of years ago for their seeds. Today they are given for cheer, friendship, and encouragement, and in recent years they have also become a symbol of solidarity with Ukraine, where the sunflower is widely regarded as the national flower.

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

Often sent for

• Birthday
• Get well
• Thank you
• Just because

By colour

• Golden Traditionally, adoration, loyalty, and cheer.
• Lemon Often given for friendship and optimism.
• Bronze Associated with warmth and harvest in modern use.