False Riches
Your Devout Adorer
Lofty and Pure Thoughts
Pride
Haughtiness
Smile on Me Still
NATURAL BACKGROUND:
With petals as bright as the sun, sunflowers are a popular and well-loved flower. Common sunflowers, scientifically named as Helianthus annuus, grow best in “loamy” or sandy soil (1). There are many varieties of sunflowers producing flowers of different colours and heights but the most common varieties are the Mammoth, Autumn Beauty, Sunrich Gold, and Teddy Bear (2). Some sunflower varieties can grow over 16 feet in height, whilst other varieties will barely reach one foot (3). Sunflowers are known to be heliotropic, meaning the flowers “follow the movement of the Sun across the sky east to west, and then returns at night to face the east, ready again for the morning sun. Heliotropism happens during the earlier stages before the flower grows heavy with seeds”(4).
HISTORY:
Sunflowers, originally found in Peru and Mexico before being introduced to Europe in the 16th century, have been crucial plants within multiple cultures (5). Sunflower variations have also been found throughout North America in Canada, as well as variations found in Egypt (6). Although many believed the Sunflower earned its name from the thought of the flower turning its head to follow the sun, the name actually derived from the physical appearance of the flowerhead’s resemblance to the sun itself (7). The name sunflower derives from the Greek word ‘helios’ meaning ‘sun’ and the Greek word ‘anthos’ meaning ‘flower’ (8).
According to Frederic Shoberl in his floral dictionary The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, published in 1848, after the Spaniards had arrived in Peru and having heard of the abundant gold to be found in the land, they were “astonished when in May they beheld whole fields covered with these flowers, which they concluded at [sic] first sight to be composed of the same precious metal”(9). Accounts of Incan and indigenous people wearing emblems of sunflowers made of gold and worship of the flower and the sun spread throughout the numerous accounts (10). Unfortunately for the Spaniards, instead of fields of gold, they discovered fields of the golden flower that would later be named the sunflower. It is possible, this account could be the reason for the attributed meaning of false riches.
After the sunflower was brought back to Europe, the flower gained popularity in the 19th century Aesthetic Movement (11). The Aesthetic Movement, which lasted from 1860-1900, focused on “producing art that was beautiful rather than having deeper meaning” and was typically known as creating “Art for Art’s sake” (12). The sunflower is a common symbol within the art produced in the Aesthetic Movement. One example can be found in William Morris’ Sunflower wallpaper design now in the collection of the V&A (13).
LEGENDS:
Although the sunflower has multiple legends and folklore attached to it from multiple cultures, such as the Native American legend of Coyote’s Salmon, two main legends are predominately discussed within the Victorian English floral dictionaries (14). These legends include the story of Pythes and the classic tale of Clytia the nymph.
Frederic Shoberl’s account of Pythes is as follows:
Pythes, a rich Lydian, the owner of several gold mines, neglected the cultivation of his lands, which naturally became so unproductive as not to afford the necessaries of life. His wife, who proved herself possessed as much good sense as wit, at a supper which Pythes had ordered her to prepare, caused all the dishes to be filled with representations of the different viands in gold. On the removal of the covers she said to the guests: “I set before you such fare as we have; for we cannot reap what we do not sow.” This lesson made a due impression on the mind of Pythes, who acknowledged that Providence distributes its gifts like an affectionate mother, who has a love for all her offspring, however numerous (15).
In The Sentiment of Flowers dictionary by Robert Tyas also retells this same tale, emphasizing:
This lesson made a deep impression on the mind of Pythias, who then acknowledged that Providence had not abandoned true riches to the avarice of men; but that, like a tender mother, she had reserved to herself the care of distributing them every year to her children, as the reward of their labours (16).
The other most common legend concerning the sunflower is that of the nymph Clytia which can be found in both Shoberl and Tyas works (17). Clytia, who was loved by the sun god Helios, was devastated after Helios began showing affection to King Orchamos’ daughter, Leucothoe. Having discovered the affair and acting from her place of jealousy, Clytia confronted the King who then “cruelly put his daughter to death”. Hoping Helios would soon return his affection for her, Clytia was heartbroken when Helios was unable to forgive Clytia for what she had done (18). Devastated, and “overwhelmed with grief”, Clytia “threw herself on the ground, and there lay for nine days and nights without taking any sustenance, and her eyes fixed on the sun, the type of her lover” (19). The gods “ moved with compassion by her sorrow and contrition, transformed her into a Sunflower, which was believed constantly to turn its face towards the sun, as if to imbibe life and warmth from his rays” (20).
SYMBOLISM AND MEANING:
Most commonly, sunflowers translated to “False Riches” (21). This meaning could have originated both from the Spaniards' quest for gold only to come across a field of sunflowers, as well as from the legend of Pythes and his love of wealth (22). Henry Phillips, in his Floral Emblems, states:
“The Sunflower is made the emblem of false riches, because gold itself, however abundant, cannot render a person rich who is poor in spirit” (23).
Esling documents the sunflower as representing “lofty and pure thoughts” which could be due to the height at which sunflowers grow to be (24). Additionally, Elizabeth Wirt describes the dwarf variety of sunflower as symbolising “your devout adorer” could be attributed to the tale of Clytia and her unending adoration for Helios (25). Additionally, Wirt also describes tall sunflowers as representing “haughtiness” (26).
SUNFLOWERS IN POP CULTURE:
As mentioned above, sunflowers became particularly popular within the Aesthetic Movement and became popular imagery and emblems within art. Additionally, sunflowers were widely mentioned within poetry and literature, such as Henry Ward Beecher's Star Papers. Perhaps most notably, sunflowers soared in popularity due to Van Gough’s impressionist painted renditions.
Just as sunflowers were well-loved by the Victorian English society, sunflowers are just as popular in today’s pop culture. Sunflowers are still widely mentioned throughout modern poetry, perhaps most popular being Rupi Kaur’s collection of poems found in The Sun and her Flowers. Additionally, pop songs such as ‘Sunflower, Vol. 6’ by Harry Styles, ‘Sunflower’ by Rex Orange County, and ‘Sunflower’ by Post Malone continue to be played throughout the world today.
SUNFLOWER BOUQUETS:
Sunflowers make lively additions in all sorts of bouquets. Although according to floriography, sunflowers can have multiple meanings and it depends on the surrounding flowers of a bouquet to interpret the intended meaning. Below are three examples of bouquets containing sunflowers with three different possible meanings.
* Romantic Sunflower Bouquet
Sunflower (your devout adorer), White stock flower (lasting beauty), Daisy
(innocence), Yellow cosmo (joy in love and life).
* End of Relationship
Sunflower (pride/ haughtiness), Yellow rose (infidelity), Adonis (sorrowful
remembrance).
* Financial Loss
Sunflower (false riches), Buttercup (ingratitude/ desire for riches), White catchfly
(betrayed).
Bouquet #3: Financial Loss
This bouquet could roughly be translated to as "Betrayed (white catchfly) by ingratitude and desire for additional wealth (buttercup) has left only false riches (sunflower).
TO LEARN MORE:
“About NSA.” Www.Sunflowernsa.Com, www.sunflowernsa.com/about/. Accessed 25 June
2020.
“Alternative Field Crops Manual.” Hort.Purdue.Edu, hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/
index.html. Accessed 25 June 2020.
Boeckmann, Catherine. “Sunflowers.” Old Farmer’s Almanac, www.almanac.com/plant/
sunflowers#. Accessed 25 June 2020.
Dorothea Lynde Dix, and Cairns Collection Of American Women Writers. The Garland of
Flora. Boston, S.G. Goodrich And Co. And Carter And Hendee, 1829.
Esling, Catharine H. Watermen. Flora’s Lexicon : An Interpretation of the Language and
Sentiment of Flowers, with an Outline of Botany, and a Poetical Introduction. Philadelphia,
Herman Hooker, 1839.
Greenaway, Kate. Language Of Flowers. London, George Rutledge & Sons, 2016.
Henry Ward Beecher. Star Papers. New York, J.C. Derby, 1855, p. 98.
Hooper, Lucy. The Lady’s Book of Flowers and Poetry; to Which Are Added a Botanical
Introduction, a Complete Floral Dictionary and a Chapter on Plants in Rooms.
Philadelphia, J.C. Riker, 1846.
Kaur, Rupi. The Sun and Her Flowers. Simon & Schuster Uk, 2018.
Kirkby, Mandy. The Language of Flowers : A Miscellany. London, Macmillan, 2011.
Laws, Bill. Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History. Richmond Hill, Ontario, Firefly
Books, 2015.
Malone, Post, and Swae Lee. Sunflower. Republic Records, 2018.
Mccabe, James D. The Language and Sentiment of Flowers. 1890. Bedford, Massachusetts,
Applewood Books, 2003.
“Native American Indian Sunflower Medicine, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of
Many Tribes.” Www.Native-Languages.Org, www.native-languages.org/legends-
sunflower.htm#:~:text=Sunflowers%20were%20one%20of%20the%20important%20cro
ps%20grown%20in%20Native%20American%20gardens.&text=Some%20Native%20peo
ple%20also%20saw. Accessed 25 June 2020.
Osgood, Frances S. The Poetry of Flowers and the Flowers of Poetry. New York, J.C. Riker, 1841.
Phillips, Henry. Floral Emblems. London, Saunders and Otley, 1825.
Rex Orange County. Sunflower. Rex Orange County, 2017.
Riley. “History of the Sunflower.” Chilliwack Sunflower Festival, 5 Aug. 2019,
chilliwacksunflowerfest.com/the-history-of-the-sunflower/. Accessed 25 June 2020.
Shoberl, Frederic. The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry. edited by Louise
Cortambert and Louise-Aime Martin, Philadelphia, Lea & Blanchard, 1848.
Styles, Harry. Sunflower Vol. 6. Erskine Records Limited, 2019.
“Sunflower | Morris, William | V&A Search the Collections.” V and A Collections, 25 June
2020, collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O248653/sunflower-wallpaper-morris-william/.
Accessed 25 June 2020.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Sunflower | Description, Uses, & Facts.”
Encyclopædia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2018, www.britannica.com/plant/sunflower-plant.
Tyas, Robert. The Sentiment of Flowers; or, Language of Flora. edited by James Andrews, 9th
ed., London, R. Tyas, 1842.
“V&A · An Introduction to the Aesthetic Movement.” Victoria and Albert Museum,
gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Mb3BRCaARIsAPSNGpXZn8usFjxG8TPGkageQ5wuZ3mWuY23mqqsIir
UffJo5zZw6jsIluwaAkurEALw_wcB. Accessed 25 June 2020.
Van Gough, Vincent. “To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Tuesday, 22 January 1889.” received by Theo
Van Gough, 22 Jan. 1889.
Wirt, Elizabeth. Flora’s Dictionary. Baltimore, Fielding Lucas Jr., 1832.
ENDNOTES:
Catherine Boeckman, "Sunflowers".
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Mandy Kirkby, The Language of Flowers, 139.
Lucy Hooper, The Lady's Book of Flowers, 147 and Catherine H. Waterman Esling, An Interpretation of the Language and Sentiment of Flowers, 194.
Lucy Hooper, The Lady's Book of Flowers, 147 and Frederic Shoberl, The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, 201.
Riley, "The History of the Sunflower", and Boeckman "Sunflowers".
Frederic Shoberl, The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, 201.
Ibid and Robert Tyas, The Sentiment of Flowers, 122 and Kirkby, The Language of Flowers, 139.
Kirkby, The Language of Flowers, 140.
V&A "An Introduction to the Aesthetic Movement".
William Morris, "Sunflower".
"Native American Sunflower".
Frederic Shoberl, The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, 202.
Robert Tyas, The Sentiment of Flowers, 123-124.
Ibid, 204.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Kirkby, The Language of Flowers, 139 and Henry Phillips, Floral Emblems, 138 and Shoberl, The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, 201 and Hooper, The Lady's Book of Flowers, 147.
Shoberl, The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, 201-202.
Phillips, Floral Emblems, 139.
Esling, An Interpretation of the Language and Sentiment of Flowers, 194.
Elizabeth Wirt, Flora's Dictionary, 220 and Shoberl, The Language of Flowers with Illustrative Poetry, 204.
Wirt, Flora's Dictionary, 220.