The Dictionary of flowers

Pansy:
These brightly coloured flowers are known to create a striking spring effect even during off season, even when planted in containers on windowsills. You will find them in a breath-taking variety of colours, including black; some varieties even have a two and three-colour combination. There are 400 known varieties, several of them scented.

Pansies are also known by some quaint names like heart's-ease, love-in-idleness, and many other quaint names.

Sending a bunch of pansies to someone you love is saying that you are thinking of the person.

Peony:
This flower attracts attention more for its size than for its looks. Sizes range from 3” across to 7” across. Tree varieties are known to be even larger.

Many different forms of peonies have been cultivated so far, which are broadly categorised as single, semi-double, double, Japanese and Anemone forms. Within these basic forms you will find a huge variety with many colours, almost every colour except blue. Some florists will insist that they have seen black peonies, lavender peonies, reddish-purple peonies and pink peonies with a bluish tint.

Peonies represent shame, bashfulness, etc.


Periwinkle, White:
These tiny flowers a.k.a. Vinca Alba are available in two varieties – minor and major. It is a hardy variety and can brave snow, extreme summer, humidity, drought conditions and even night temperatures of -9 degree centigrade. In some cases it was found to flourish even despite exposure to traffic fumes; in several places right besides highways we have these flowers adding their charm to an otherwise dull landscape.

This 5-petal flowers bloom throughout summer, starting around February and may continue into autumn. And it blooms profusely, even on plants that are no higher than a few inches high.

The minor variety of periwinkle is also available in some shades of blue and a deep purple. A few have variegated leaves with golden blotches.

There are also one or two double-flowered cultivars available.

Pheasant's Eye:
A.k.a. Adonis, this is a hardy variety of flower belonging to the Buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It gets its botanical name from a character in Greek mythology – Adonis, the incredibly handsome youth who was much loved by the goddess Aphrodite. In the mythical tale, one day Adonis goes hunting when he is attacked and killed by a wild boar. As the goddess grieved over him, a red flowered plant grew out of his shed blood. The commonly known pheasant’s eye is believed to be that flower.

Pinks:
Pinks are lovely, fragrant flowers. Many flowers names include the word ‘Pink’; it should be noted here that these aren't true Pinks. Pinks are sometimes referred to as miniature carnations, because they resemble them. But the Pink isn’t a carnation although belonging to the same genus. Unlike Pinks which grow no taller than 18 inches, carnations can grow up from 2 to 5 feet. The Pink is mainly a garden plant. The leaves are firm and glaucous (i.e. they have a bluish-green waxy coating). A few varieties of Pinks have an inclination to burst their calyces, while the Allwoodii, Show and Herbertii types have non-splitting calyces. Therefore, exhibitors prefer these.

It grows all year round in Hawaii and has a strong (almost intoxicating) aroma which is why it is considered the islands’ traditional ‘lei’ flower.

The natives pick pinks in the cool early hours of the morning when the flowers are in full bloom.

Poppy, Red:
This very unusual plant is known for its many uses and abuses. Opium is produced from this plant. The flowers of the poppy bear petals of a rich scarlet colour when fresh and are almost black at the base. The aroma of opium hangs heavy around the flower when it is fresh.

Its petals (used for preparing a kind of syrup) find a ready market in many countries. The syrup prepared from the petals is an important ingredient in soups and gruels.

The common red poppy grows in fields and waste places and in developed countries it is often regarded as a weed. In Flanders and many parts of Germany, it is cultivated for its seeds which yield oil that is used as substitute for olive oil.

The leaves are used as a vegetable. There are several varieties, with different leaf shapes and different kinds of fruit. Even the intensity of the petals’ scarlet varies from plant to plant.

The Papaver Rhoeas variety is very slightly narcotic.

There is also some controversy over the flower. It revolves partly around the narcotic ‘morphine’ believed to be present in the plant. Scientists are divided over whether Meconic Acid, which is present in opium, is a constituent.

Primrose:
The leave of this plant are egg-shaped, oblong 5” when mature. These taper into a winged stalk that is about 1 1/4 inches broad in the middle. The flowers each bloom on separate stalks.

There are basically two types of primroses, although both look identical: one is known as the ‘pin-eyed’ primrose and the other as ‘thrum-eyed’ primrose. You will never find both types of flowers on the same primrose plant.
There are few similarities, such as the yellow corolla with its five petals and the green tube calyx. In the centre of the pin-eyed primrose, there will be the green knob of the stigma, as the name suggests, looking like a pin’s head. In the centre of the thrum-eyed flowers there will be five anthers forming a ring around the tube. There will be no central knob. The bottom of the tube in both the flowers possesses the seed case and the honey.

Sending a freshly picked spray of primroses to the love of your life says “I cannot live without you”.

Quince:
This flower is more suitable as a decoration flower than for gifting. It is popularly used also as bonsai material. The flowers bloom in bright displays of reds, pinks and whites which is particularly striking during late winter when most other plants have shed their leaves.

In gardens they have been styled to grow in various formations, such a cascade, rafts, root-over-rock, etc. Their branches are thorny on young shoots.

This hardy plant originated in the Far East. The tough branches are thorny when young.

Quinces flourish in soil that is well-drained, moderately moist soil and in dry atmosphere.

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