14 Flowers That Represent Love: Meanings, Symbolism & Romantic Types

It is not unknown that flower represents love, and the Victorian era popularized the language of flowers, which uses flowers to convey emotions that cannot be expressed. Through this cultural phenomenon, the significance of flowers extended from being just ornamental for garden beds or balcony gardens. 

Also, the wide array of flowers, like roses, chrysanthemums, or freesias, have already been symbolic of the idea of love for ages, whether for wedding decor or special dates.

Now, if you have a thing for flowers and love gifting or planting them, let me take you through 14 flowers that represent love. 

Quick  answer 

The flower that represents love is the red rose. Alongside chrysanthemums, sunflowers, gardenias, freesias, lavender, and lily flower represents love that is symbolic to the idea of deep love, friendship, and admiration. 

List of Flowers That Represent Love

Roses, tulips, lavender, lilies, and sunflowers are some flower that represent love and are bought and gifted extensively as tokens of love. Here is a list of flowers you can choose from to gift someone you love. 

1. Red Roses
2. Chrysanthemum
3. Lavender
4. Lily
5. Gardenias
6. Sunflower
7. Yellow Roses
8. Freesia Flowers
9. Alstroemeria
10. Tulips
11. Azaleas
12. Orange Blossoms
13. Carnations
14. Forget-me-not

Which Flower Represents Love? The Romantic and Eternal Kind 

Your search for which flower represents love ends here as I share a well-curated list of flowers with romantic symbolism. 

• Roses are the June birth flowers that have been an eternal symbol of love for ages. 

• Historically, this deciduous shrub is associated with the Greek myth of Aphrodite and her lover. It is believed that the first rose emerged from the blood and tears of Aphrodite. 

• The rose symbolizes eternal love, passion, and romance and is a popular gift for anniversaries and romantic dates. 

• Popularly known as mums, the red chrysanthemums have been associated with the idea of love and passion.

• Other colours of mums hold different significance around the world; for example, white mums symbolise mourning in Japan, while pink mums signify friendship. 

• If you are planning to ditch roses for Valentine’s Day, red chrysanthemums might come to your rescue. 

• The spiky purple flowers of lavender are a wedding decor staple; they are widely used with other flowers that represent love, like roses, for bridal bouquets. 

• Lavender is an aromatic flower that has been used for aromatherapy and can be gifted to your partner for a sweet and calm fragrance.  

• Lilies have long been a symbol of love, especially in the 19th century, when receiving a lily was associated with being admired. 

• While red lilies are primarily associated with the idea of romantic love, William Blake, in his poem ‘The Lily’, contrasts this flower with the “Thorny roses” and states lilies as a symbol of pure and uncorrupted love. 

• Gardenias are a symbol of secret love and admiration. Since the Victorian times, they have been used as an exchange between people who were unable to express their feelings. 

• While flowers can be loud messengers of love, gardenias remind us to approach love subtly.

What are the Flowers for Platonic Love? 

While flowers are versatile and do not necessarily fit under a definition, some blooms are perfect for friends who stay through thick and thin. 

Here are 5  flower that represents love- the platonic one. 

• Sunflower meaning has been associated with the idea of friendship and loyalty. 

• True to its name, this flower evokes the feeling of warmth and faithful long-term relationships and is hence perfect for friends who bring that comfort to your life. 

• As a Greek myth states, Clytie was in love with the sun god, Apollo, and after he rejected her, she sat facing the sun and turned into a sunflower, forever facing the sun, which is a stark example of unwavering loyalty.

• The yellow roses’ meaning is connected to friendship and positivity, and they are popularly used to signify platonic love. 

• However, earlier in many cultures, these flowers were also a sign of jealousy, but with time, the meaning has expanded and is understood in the context of happiness, joy, and friendship.  

• Freesias are named by botanist Christian P. Ecklon after his friend Dr Freese, and hence, they rightly symbolize friendship. Looks like the perfect present for Friendship Day. 

• According to floriography, freesia stands for loyalty and trust, which are two non-negotiables in friendships. 

• Alstroemeria is one of the few flowers that has a rooted meaning in friendship and platonic bonds. 

• All the colors of these 6-petal flowers are symbolic of the caring bond that friends share. 

• I have gifted these flowers to many of my acquaintances and friends whom I respect deeply, especially on birthdays.  

• Yellow tulips are a symbol of friendship, as the color yellow holds platonic significance and is used to convey happiness and warmth. 

• These Easter flowers are generally gifted to someone whom you dearly admire. Moving away from romantic admiration, yellow tulips are great for friendships that are born out of mutual respect. 

Flowers That Represent Familial Love

The most asked question remains: what flower represents a mother’s love? Or what should I give my family members? Worry not, as meaning can be misleading; here are the flowers that are a figure of familial love. 

• The azalea is a beautiful pink flower that is mainly linked with feminine beauty and elegance. 

• Many cultures around the world recognize these flowers as a symbol of family love and togetherness, and they can be used for family gatherings and celebrations. 

• Orange blossoms are white flowers with a citrusy scent that were worn as a perfume by Princess Diana during her wedding, symbolizing new beginnings. 

• These white flowers are also symbolic of fertility and prosperity for the new family and the journey they are embarking upon. 

• Carnations are believed to be the official Mother’s Day flower and are a perfect gift for all the lovely mothers. 

• This dates back to a Renaissance painting by Raphael, The Madonna of the Pinks, which features the portrait of the infant Jesus holding a carnation sitting on the lap of the Virgin Mary, symbolizing motherly love. 

• Forget-me-not is the official flower of National Grandparents Day, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day.

• The meaning of this blue flower is associated with the idea of remembrance, conveying the everlasting love and affection that the grandparents deserve. 

Common Queries and Solutions About the Flowers That Represent Love

Red roses represent love, and yellow roses signify friendship, but still, there is confusion regarding the meaning of the flowers, and I came across Reddit queries that raise common questions about which flowers represent eternal love and which do not. 

Take a look at these popular queries with their simple answers: 

1. What is the best flower with a deep meaning behind it for my girlfriend in this upcoming Valentine’s Day?

• For Valentine’s Day, red roses and lilies would be perfect to gift a loved one. 

• Although red roses are a popular option that holds the meaning of deep and passionate love, lilies can be a sweet choice if she likes soft but elegant blooms, as they also mean pure love. 

2. What is a flower that represents obsession? /Intense love/Obsessive love? 

• Many flowers are associated with the idea of obsessive love, and the one that stands out in the list is Black Dahlias. 

• The Black Dahlia flower is also linked to a murder mystery, which is named after this flower, for being one of the most gruesome and unresolved cases in the world, hence the association with intensity. 

3. I am looking for a flower to symbolize a secret admiration

• Flowers like foxglove and gardenia are the main symbols of secret love and admiration. 

• It is perfect for someone you admire deeply but cannot express it to because of different reasons. 

Concluding Remarks 

It is established that flower represents love but they cannot be boxed up rigidly, because every bloom has a certain symbolism born from the myths and stories it is linked with, and that makes it relevant for certain relationships. 

The language of flowers is better than words, and hence, this list of flowers will help you plan, decorate, and gift better. With each flower representing love in different forms and shapes, make sure your emotions are best conveyed through the blooms you pick next time. 

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