Plants, Trees, and Flowers
This page lists all the various symbols in the Plants, Trees, and Flowers category.
The natural world is home to a vast variety of symbols, and plants, trees and flowers are among the most symbolically charged objects you'll ever encounter. Some of their symbolic meanings are widely known; the rose is a near-universal symbol of love and poppies are a tribute to those who have died in the great wars of the 20th century.
Such meanings, however, are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and the number of symbolic associations to be drawn from the plant world is nearly as extensive as the number of species themselves.
Symbols in this category:
Bamboo
One of the most ubiquitous symbols of eastern Asia, bamboo is a plant with many meanings and, in modern-day industry and manufacturing, a plant with many practical uses.
Betel Leaf
The betel leaf, also called as paan ka patta (Hindi), is used in all important Hindu festivals and occasions. It is a simple leaf, yet comes with powerful health benefits and is also an important ingredient in the Ayurveda. Betel leaf is native to South-East Asia and is considered as important as the Tulasi leaf.
Cherry Blossom
Soft, delicate and beautiful, the cherry blossom is one of the world’s most admired flowers. This admiration is particularly strong in Japan, where cherry blossoms have been held in high esteem for centuries, and garnered many important symbolic attributes in the process.
Chrysanthemum
In parts of eastern Asia, the chrysanthemum is extremely important as a cultural symbol. Although the lotus flower has symbolic meaning across a larger swath of the continent, in China and Japan it runs into some stiff competition from this golden-hued beauty.
Dates
The cultivation of dates began over 5000 years ago, and the fruit is still an important foodstuff in many parts of the world. In terms of symbolism, the date has much in common with the fig, and aside from the fruit itself, date palm trees hold symbolic importance in their own right.
Forget-Me-Not Flower
Forget-Me-Not flowers are ¼ to 1/3 inch across, colored bright to pale blue, with 5 petals, with yellow in the center. Flower stalks are about ¼ inch long which branch off from a central stem.
Frankincense
We’ve all heard the adage that appearances can be deceiving, and this is particularly true in the case of frankincense. Despite resembling lumps of dried earwax, this precious material has been prized for thousands of years, and it still plays important roles in the world today.
Grapes
The symbolism of the grape is invariably tied to, and often overshadowed by, its fermented after-product- wine. Insofar as the two can be pried apart, this article will attempt to do so, and focus primarily on the fruit itself.
Lotus
In terms of symbolic importance, the lotus has achieved a status that has seldom been equaled by any flower. Its beauty, perfume and central place in many belief systems has made it a true monarch of the botanical world. It would be highly difficult to enumerate all the symbolic meanings of the lotus, so this article will provide a basic overview along with a few specific examples of cultures where the flower holds special significance.
Magnolia
Magnolias are especially prized in China, where they carry powerful symbolic meaning.
Oak
In many parts of ancient Europe, the oak tree was a revered symbol and associated with numerous deities. Besides the tree itself, individual components such as acorns and leaves hold their own unique significance.
Olive
Olives have been cultivated by Mediterranean peoples for at least five thousand years, and are still a major staple of cuisines in the region. This article will address not just the olive itself, but the oil produced from it and the tree from which it grows, since the symbolic meanings of all three are interconnected.
Plum
The plum is an important symbol in parts of eastern Asia, where both the fruit and its flower carry significant meaning.
Poppy
The cultural importance of the poppy stretches back over 3000 years, and its symbolic associations are fairly well known to modern society. These associations can be divided into two broad categories, and there are several layers within each category that add to the flower’s significance.
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"Plants, Trees, and Flowers Symbols." Symbols.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Nov. 2024. <https://www.symbols.com/category/58/Plants%2C+Trees%2C+and+Flowers>.
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