Plants have long been associated with love, romance, and companionship. Winter can be dreary, so rekindle that botanical spark this Valentine’s Day by reading about a few plants that evoke love with their names, forms, or symbolism.
Plants that look like hearts
Known as “cordate” in botanical nomenclature, heart-shaped leaves or flowers are quite common in the plant world.
Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis)
This shade-loving, herbaceous perennial has easily recognizable spring flowers. The drooping cluster of heart-shaped blooms typically come in pink and salmon tones, but white forms are also available.
Heart-leafed Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)
Most often grown as a houseplant, this plant’s vining or trailing stems can be trained on a trellis. You can also allowed it to cascade down a shelf or over the edge of a hanging basket.
Flamingo flower (Anthurium andraeanum)
This tropical plant is commonly used in interiorscaping, but it can also make an excellent houseplant. They do best with bright, indirect light, high humidity, and well-draining potting soil. The blooms are made up of a large waxy, heart-shaped leaf (typically red or pink) and a white or yellow, upright cluster of small flowers.
Plants with love in their name
Though common names are not used by botanists, these particular plants have lovely names worth learning about.
Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
A charming annual in the buttercup family that features solitary, blue flowers (white and pink forms are also available) nestled among lacy, finely-dissected leaves, creating a misty appearance. Easy to grow from seed, and will likewise easily self-seed in your garden.
Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
The genus name Eragrostis comes from the Greek eros meaning “love” and agrostis meaning “grass”. Unfortunately, the exact reason behind why this name was used has been lost to time. This particular perennial species of lovegrass is native to Missouri and features a showy display of cloud-like, reddish-purple blooms from late summer into fall.
Cupid’s Dart (Catananche caerulea)
Though it technically does not have the word “love” in its name, this plant was supposedly used by the ancient Greeks as the main ingredient of a love potion, hence the common name Cupid’s dart. It is a short-lived perennial native to the Mediterranean that features lavender-blue blooms held on wiry stems above clumps of narrow, grass-like gray-green leaves.
Flowers that symbolized love in the Victorian Era
Known as the “language of flowers” or “floriography”, the idea that certain flowers or plants could convey particular emotions was popular during the Victorian Era.
Jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla)
This plant is said to symbolize a desire for the return of affection. Native to the Iberian Peninsula, this small, late-flowering species daffodil has been cultivated widely for its showy flowers and high concentration of narcissus oil, a key ingredient in many perfumes.
Did you know? The Genus Narcissus honors a beautiful youth from Greek mythology who became so entranced with his own reflection that he pined away and the gods turned him into this flower.
Myrtle (Myrtus communis)
Symbolic of love and devotion, this plant had a particular association with marriage and weddings, as it was included in the bridal bouquet of Queen Victoria’s daughter (also named Victoria).
English Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
This bulbous perennial symbolizes faithfulness, kindness, and lasting love. The fragrant, pendant blooms of English bluebells are typically blue, though white and pink forms are also available.
Justine Kandra | Horticulturalist
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