For centuries, humans have used flowers and other plants to express emotions like love, courage, and hope. This includes members of the LGBTQIA+ community, who have used plants to identify each other, express romantic interest, and as symbols of resistance and empowerment.
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Discover More: Plants That Evoke Love
Warning: This article has brief mentions of homophobia and transphobia that some readers may find upsetting. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact the Trevor Project (for young adults) or the LGBT National Hotline (for adults).
Lavender (Lavandula spp.): the color of LGBTQIA+ pride
Lavandula x intermedia Photo by Sundos Schneider/Missouri Botanical Garden.
While a rainbow often represents the LGBTQ+ community, the color lavender has a long history of representing those who fall outside of heterosexuality and the gender binary.
Christobel Hastings with CNN points out in her article examining lavender’s LGBTQIA+ history that the color was not always used as a positive representation. In the 1930s, gay men were said to have had a dash of lavender. And in the McCarthyism of the 40s and 50s, the “Lavender Scare” led to a number of suspected LGBTQIA+ people losing their jobs.
Lavender has also been used in attempts to demonize Sapphic women and separate them from the feminist movement. Betty Freidan, author of The Feminine Mystique, warned members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1969 of the “lavender menace” threatening the women’s movement.
It was also in the 1960s that the LGBTQIA+ community began reclaiming the color as a symbol of resistance and empowerment. “Lavender sashes and armbands were distributed to a crowd of hundreds in a ‘gay power’ march from Washington Square Park to Stonewall Inn in New York, to commemorate the Stonewall riots that had just taken place a month before,” writes Hastings.
Plants that symbolize Lesbians and Sapphic Love
Violets (Viola spp.)
Dating back to ancient Greece, violets have been associated with Sapphic (relating to attraction between women) love thanks to ancient poet Sappho hailing from the island of Lesbos.
According to a blog by the University of Washington Botanical Gardens, more modern ideas of violets being the “lesbian flower” began in 1927 following the shutdown of a Broadway play depicting a Sapphic character sending a bouquet of violets to her love interest.
Lilies (Lilium spp.)
In Japanese media, the Yuri genre depicts female intimacy, be it romantic or platonic. The word Yuri (百合) translates to lily.
Erica Friedman, founder of the Yuricon community, says this association can be seen in Japan’s first commercial gay magazine which referred to a lesbian organization as the yurizoku (lily tribe).
Plants that symbolize Gay Romance and Identity
Pansies (Viola tricolor)
Pansies are another example of a once derogatory word reclaimed as a LGBTQIA+ symbol. Once a term for flamboyant or effeminate men, pansies eventually became associated with a period of gay nightlife called the “Pansy Craze.”
According to the Guardian, drag performances and proudly queer songs were staples of these parties. During this time, pansy clubs popped up in New York, Paris, and Berlin.
Green Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus)
We have playwright Oscar Wilde to thank for this LGBTQIA+ symbol. During opening night of one of his plays in 1892, Wilde instructed his friends to wear green carnations.
One of Wilde’s friends went on to write a book called the Green Carnation. The book was briefly withdrawn when Wilde went on trial, after his same-sex relationship became public.
Plants that symbolize Bisexuality
Trillium spp. flowers
The trillium flower has symbolized bisexual people in the LGBTQIA+ community since the late 1990s and was added to the Mexican bisexual pride flag in 2001.
According to Out and About, a project with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, artist and activist Michael Page suggested the flower because trillium was described by scientists as bisexual, though this referred to its sexual organs rather than attraction.
Lemons (Citrus limon)
A bit more recent and humorous, lemons (or specifically lemon bars) have become an unofficial bisexual symbol.
This light-hearted stereotype got its start with online bisexual communities, with one user jokingly offering lemon bars to whoever joins the “bisexual side.”
Plants That Symbolize The Transgender community
Roses (Rosa spp.)
Roses are often used as a symbol for the trans community, especially in regards to Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memory of those lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.
“Give us our roses while we’re still here”, which has been credited to trans artist B. Parker, is a popular message on the day. Roses have many symbols, including friendship, love, and mourning.
Did you know? St. Louis is home to the first Transgender Memorial Garden in the United States.
Special Mention: Painted Beauty (Batesia hypochlora) Butterfly
Though not a plant, we do want to give a special mention to butterflies as symbols for the transgender community.
At the Missouri Botanical Garden, we’re big fans of butterflies, including the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House where people can learn more about these important pollinators.
Batesia Hypochlora. Photo by noreste.com.
Butterflies undergo a major transformation in their life cycle, going from a caterpillar to an adult butterfly during metamorphosis. Because of this well-known change, butterflies have been adopted by the transgender community as a symbol of change.
The Painted Beuaty (Batesia hypochlora) butterfly of South America is a notable butterfly, coming in bright color combinations including coral and blue.
Plants That Symbolize The Intersex Community
Orchids (Orchidaceae spp.)
Intersex groups use orchids as a symbol of the community, specifically for those with androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS). For context, the word for orchid comes from the Greek word orchid meaning testicle.
Consequently, one surgery that intersex people (often unknowingly and nonconsensually) undergo is called orchidectomy or orchiectomy which removes the testes.
Because of these associations, several intersex organizations have adopted the orchid as a symbol of the community and incorporate it into their logo.
Plant PRIDE for Asexuality and Aromanticism
There are no official plants representing asexuality or aromanticism (at least not yet). But if you want to add a little ace/aro PRIDE to your home or garden, one plant to consider is the African Daisy (Osteospermum spp).
These cultivars come in a variety of colors and combinations including those found on the asexual PRIDE flag like white and purple. African daisies can be symbolic of joy and resilience.
If you are looking for some green flowers to show off your aromantic PRIDE, Zinnia spp. also come in a variety of colors including green. Zinnias can represent lasting friendships.
Did you know about these plants’ connections to the LGBTQIA+ community? Are there some symbolic plants we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Jessika Eidson | Public Information Officer
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