This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(January 2022)
Dianthus caryophyllus (/daɪˈænθəsˌkɛəriəˈfɪləs/dy-AN-thəsKAIR-ee-ə-FIL-əs),[1][2] commonly known ascarnation orclove pink, is a species ofDianthus native to theMediterranean region.[3] While its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive cultivation over the last 2,000 years, wild carnations are most common in the Mediterranean region. Carnations are prized for their wide variety of colors, delicate fringed petals, and fragrance, often described as spicy, clove-like, or reminiscent of a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg, hence the common name "clove pink". This aroma has made carnations a popular choice for use in perfumes,potpourri, and scented products. Culturally, carnations are associated with affection, distinction, and maternal love, with variations depending on color and area within its wide geographical range.[4][5][6]
Peter Binoit,Stilleben, frukt – Still life with carnations, 1618
Carnations were mentioned in Greek literature 2,000 years ago.[7] The termdianthus was coined by Greek botanistTheophrastus,[7] and is derived from theAncient Greek words for divine ("dios") and flower ("anthos").[8] The name "carnation" is believed to come from the Latincorona, a "wreath, garland, chaplet, crown",[9] as it was one of the flowers used in Greek and Roman ceremonial crowns, or possibly from the Latincaro (genitivecarnis), "flesh",[9] which refers to the natural colour of the flower, or in Christian iconographyincarnatio, "incarnation", God made flesh in the form of Jesus.
Carl Linnaeus described the carnation in volume one of hisSpecies Plantarum in 1753, giving it the nameDianthus caryophyllus.[10] Although originally applied to the speciesDianthus caryophyllus, the name carnation is also often applied to some of the other species ofDianthus, and more particularly to gardenhybrids betweenD. caryophyllus and other species in the genus.
Dianthus caryophyllus is aherbaceousperennial plant growing up to 80 cm (32 in) tall. Theleaves areglaucous greyish green to blue-green, slender, and up to 15 cm (6 in) long. Theflowers are produced singly or up to five together in acyme; they are around 3–5 cm (1¼–2 in) in diameter, and sweetly scented. The original natural flower color is bright pinkish-purple, butcultivars of other colors, including red, pink, yellow, white, and green, have been developed. While sometimes dyed blue for cut bouquets, there are no known carnation cultivars that produce a true blue flower. The fragrant,hermaphrodite flowers have a radial symmetry. The four to six egg-shaped, sting-pointed scale leaves surrounding thecalyx are only ¼ as long as the calyx tube.[6][11]
Women collecting carnations in Sanremo (Italy) in 1962
Carnations require well-drained,[14] neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and full sun. Numerouscultivars have been selected for garden planting.[6] Typical examples include 'Gina Porto', 'Helen', 'Laced Romeo', and 'Red Rocket'. They are used for medical purposes, such as for upset stomach and fever. Their fragrance was historically used forvinegar, beer, wine, sauces and salads.[15]
CrossbreedingD. caryophyllus withD. capitatus results in a hybrid that is resistant to bacterial wilt fromParaburkholderia caryophylli. However, the flower is less attractive and so more breeding and backcrossing is needed to improve the flower.[16] Carnation cultivars with no fragrance are often used by men asboutonnières or "buttonholes".
Light red carnations represent admiration, while dark red denote deep love and affection.
White carnations represent pure love and good luck, while striped (variegated) carnations symbolise regret that a love cannot be shared.
In theNetherlands, white carnations are associated withPrince Bernhard. He wore one duringWorld War II and in a gesture of defiance some of the Dutch population took up this gesture. After the war the white carnation became a sign of the Prince, veterans and remembrance of the resistance.
Purple carnations indicate capriciousness. InFrance, it is a traditional funeral flower, given in condolence for the death of a loved one.[18][19]
Carnation is thebirth flower for those born in the month of January.[20]
Since Ottoman times, red carnations andtulips are used in the interior wall paintings ofmosques inTurkey. It is often said that while tulips representGod, carnations is the symbol forMuhammad. However these flower designs are not unique to mosques but also used in many other Ottoman traditional art forms.
InAzerbaijan, red carnations has turned into a symbol of mourning after the usage of the flower duringBlack January events of 1990, a violent crackdown on the civilian population of the country by USSR troops.
In the musical 'Hadestown' byAnaïs Mitchell, the flower carries symbolic weight, representing themes of love, loss, and revolution. It is also associated withOrpheus's deep love forEurydice, as well as the love betweenHades andPersephone. The flower appears multiple times in the show.
The formal name for carnation,dianthus, comes from Greek for "heavenly flower",[22] or the flower ofJove.[23]
Carnations are often worn on special occasions, especiallyMother's Day and weddings. In 1907,Anna Jarvis chose a carnation as the emblem of Mother's Day because it was her mother's favourite flower.[24] This tradition is now observed in the United States and Canada on the second Sunday in May. Jarvis chose the white carnation because she wanted to represent the purity of a mother's love.[25][26] This meaning has evolved over time, and now a red carnation may be worn if one's mother is alive, and a white one if she has died.[27]
InSlovenia, red carnations are sometimes also given to women on Women's Day, the 8th of March; however, nowadays orchids or roses are often given as well.[28] InKorea, carnations express admiration, love, and gratitude. Red and pink carnations are worn onParents Day (Korea does not separate Mother's Day or Father's Day, but has Parents Day on 8 May). Sometimes, parents wear a corsage of carnation(s) on their left chest on Parents Day. Carnations are also worn on Teachers Day (15 May).[29]
After the 1990 uprisings against Soviets inAzerbaijan in which 147 Azerbaijani civilians were killed, 800 people were injured, and five people went missing, the carnation has become a symbol of the Black January tragedy associated with the carnations thrown into the puddles of blood shed in the streets of Azerbaijan subsequent to the massacre.[32]
At theUniversity of Oxford, carnations are traditionally worn to all examinations; white for the first exam, pink for exams in between, and red for the last exam. One story explaining this tradition relates that initially a white carnation was kept in a red inkpot between exams, so by the last exam it was fully red; the story is thought to originate in the late 1990s.[citation needed]
Carnations are the traditional first wedding anniversary flower.[33] Carnations are also known as the "Flower of God". The Greek name for carnation is a fusion of "dios" and "anthos". Dios is used to describe Zeus while Anthos means flower; thus the name "flower of God" is attached to it.[citation needed]
The carnation is thenational flower ofSpain,Monaco, andSlovenia, and the provincial flower of the autonomous community of theBalearic Islands. Thestate flower ofOhio is a scarlet carnation, which was introduced to the state byLevi L. Lamborn. The choice was made to honorWilliam McKinley, Ohio governor and U.S. president, who was assassinated in 1901, and regularly wore a scarlet carnation on his lapel.[34]
Around 1996, a company,Florigene, usedgenetic engineering to extract certain genes frompetunia andsnapdragon flowers to produce a blue-mauve carnation, which was commercialized asMoondust. In 1998, a violet carnation calledMoonshade was commercialized.[35] As of 2004, three additional blue-violet/purple varieties have been commercialized.[36]
^Hans Wolfgang Behm: The flora around us. The colored book of flowers and flowers in gardens and house. Berlin 1966.
^Onozaki, T., Ikeda, H., Yamaguchi, T., and Himeno, M. (1998). introduction of Bacterial Wilt (pseudomonas caryophylli) resistance in Dianthus wild species to carnation. In "ISHS Acta Horticulturae III: New Floricultural Crops", Considine, J. eds, Acta Horticulturae, Perth, Western Australia. pp. 127–132
