The cornflower is a beautiful and unique flower that showcases a natural blue color. Not only are they visually appealing, but they also hold significant meaning and symbolism that has been recognized throughout human history.
Discovering the Significance of Cornflowers – The Basics
The humble cornflower holds a variety of meanings, from love and fertility to unity and prosperity. It also symbolizes hope, anticipation, devotion, and remembrance, along with delicacy, reliability, and wealth. Interestingly enough, in the language of flowers during the Victorian era, cornflowers were tied to the idea of celibacy.
All About Cornflowers
With over 700 species, the Centaurea genus is a diverse group of plants that includes the Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as cornflower or bachelor’s button. These annual plants can grow up to three feet tall and produce circular inflorescences with button-shaped flower heads featuring a striking blue color, although they can also be purple, pink, or white. Native to the northern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean region, the species has been widely distributed and naturalized across the globe. The name Centaurea comes from the Greek word kentauros, meaning centaur, while cyanus is a Latinate form of the English word “cyan,” a greenish aqua blue color. Cornflowers earned their common name because they often grew alongside grain crops as a weed. They are also called bachelor’s buttons due to the button-like shape of their inflorescence. Young, eligible bachelors during the Victorian era would wear cornflowers in their buttonholes. Cornflowers are used for ornamental purposes, culinary decorations, and in herbal medicine for their anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.
Cornflowers have a wide range of uses and advantages:
1. Cutting Gardens and Ornamental Gardens:
Although cornflowers have been viewed as weeds, they possess an attractive and striking appearance. They come in different varieties that are cultivated for ornamental purposes. Their long stems make them suitable for cutting gardens, borders, beds, and cottage gardens.
2. Pollinators and Birds:
In addition to their beauty, cornflowers attract butterflies and birds to a garden, making them a great choice for anyone who loves to watch nature’s bounty.
3. Food and Drink:
Cornflowers are edible, and although they don’t have much taste, their vibrant-blue petals can make a dish or drink look incredibly appealing. They are commonly used to decorate desserts, drinks, salads, oils, and cheese. They’re also popular in tea, especially lady grey tea mixes.
4. Dye:
The natural pigments found in cornflowers’ blue petals are often extracted and used as a natural dye, particularly in food products.
5. Soil Cleansing:
Research shows that cornflowers are effective in removing lead deposits from contaminated areas when certain bacteria are present in the soil.
6. Medicinal Properties:
Cornflowers contain pharmacologically active compounds in their flowers, leaves, and seeds. These compounds have several medicinal applications, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and gastrointestinal benefits.
7. Symbolism:
Cornflowers have cultural and symbolic significance in many places around the world. They are often associated with love, fertility, and loyalty, making them a popular choice in weddings and other celebrations.
In summary, cornflowers are versatile and useful plants that offer a range of benefits and uses. Whether you want to plant them in your garden, use them in your cooking, or appreciate their cultural significance, they are a great choice to add some color and beauty to your life.
Cornflowers hold a plethora of symbolic meanings that have evolved over time. They represent a range of emotions and concepts, including love, unity, hope, devotion, prosperity, and wealth. The various colors of cornflowers also carry their own unique symbolic meanings. Blue is associated with peace, tranquility, hope, and the pursuit of the unattainable. Purple signifies royalty, power, dignity, elegance, and wealth. Pink represents gentle affection, admiration, and femininity, while white embodies purity, innocence, sympathy, and mourning. Overall, cornflowers have a rich and varied symbolism in the language of flowers.
There are various Victorian-era texts that refer to the language of flowers, also known as floriography. Bachelor’s buttons, which is another name for Centaurea cyanus, is listed in two of these texts as representing celibacy. An earlier text on the language of flowers describes a “corn flower” that represents perseverance, although it is denoted with an abbreviated scientific name, “Githago.” This likely refers to Agrostemma githago, a plant from the carnation family and not corn-cockle as previously thought.
Cornflowers, or bachelor’s buttons, were associated with celibacy in Victorian times, and bachelors often wore them in their buttonholes to signify their availability for marriage. As a result, they have also come to represent love and have become a popular choice for men’s wedding boutonnieres. In ancient Egypt, cornflowers symbolized fertility and life, and they were often depicted in art dating back to the stone age. They were also included in floral collars and burial wreaths adorning King Tutankhamun’s tomb. It is believed that cornflowers were placed in graves to help the deceased reanimate. In Greek mythology, cornflowers do not have a significant symbolic meaning.
Based on Greek mythology, Chiron, the centaur, utilized cornflower plants to heal Achilles from the poisonous arrow wound. Cornflowers have significant religious symbolism in Christianity as they are toxic to slugs, which are commonly attributed to the devil. As a result, Mary and Christ have become powerful symbols associated with cornflower plants that are often present in famous Christian artwork and church architecture. Moreover, cornflowers have been utilized as official and state symbols in various countries and organizations such as Estonia, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Winchester College, Dulwich College, and the German-American Steuben Parade. In addition, the cornflower is the national symbol of the armistice in France on November 11, 1918. Cornflowers have also been a popular subject in fine art, with famous works by artists like Vincent van Gogh, Isaac Levitan, Igor Grabar, and Sergei Osipov depicting them. Cornflowers can make suitable gifts for various occasions.
Cornflowers are a versatile choice for any occasion due to the plethora of symbolic meanings associated with them. Their blue color makes them a popular choice for congratulatory bouquets for new baby boys and Father’s Day celebrations. These delicate flowers symbolize love, fertility, tenderness, unity, hope, anticipation, devotion, fidelity, reliability, remembrance, and prosperity. In the Victorian era, they were also associated with celibacy. Although cornflowers are annuals, they are self-sowing, ensuring new plants will sprout from seeds each year. They typically bloom from mid-spring to early summer and are not toxic to humans or pets. Despite their long history and global spread, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the beauty and symbolism of cornflowers, whether growing in a wild field or cultivated in your own garden.