Calendula flowers offer simple beauty with their daisy-shaped flower heads and a cheerful ambiance with their sunny, golden faces. They also have a wealth of symbolism and cultural significance that can be enjoyed along with their bright orange and yellow flowers. In this guide, I’ll run through everything you need to know about Calendula flower meaning and their cultural significance around the world today.
- The Symbolic Meaning of Calendula – The Essentials
- About Calendula
- Calendula Flower Colors and Their Meaning and Symbolism
- The Symbolic Meaning of Calendula in the Victorian Language of Flowers
- Calendula and October Birth Flowers
- Calendula Flowers and Their Association With Prophecy and Protection
- Calendula Flowers and Good Luck
- Calendula Flowers and the Virgin Mary
- The Lore of Calendula Flowers
- Calendula Flower Use in Ancient Civilizations
- Suitable Gifting Occasions for Calendula
- Calendula FAQs:
- The Color of Treasure and a Rich Symbolic History
The Symbolic Meaning of Calendula – The Essentials
Calendula flowers symbolize grief, despair, and remembrance. They are also associated with endurance, longevity, prophecy, and joy. Due to the flower’s history of medicinal use, it is also associated with health.
About Calendula
Taxonomy
Calendula is a genus of 12 accepted species of plants that belongs to the Asteraceae (aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower) plant family within the Asteroideae subfamily. Plants of the Calendula genus are commonly called marigolds or pot marigolds.
Botanical Characteristics
Calendulas are herbaceous flowering plants that can be either annual or perennial. The plants can grow to be more than two feet in height with verdant lanceolate to oblong leaves. The daisy-like flowerheads are produced atop thick, green stems. The capitula consist of one or more rings of ray florets that surround a dark-brown central disc floret. The flowers are mostly bright orange or yellow but can also be found in white, cream, red, and pink shades.
Calendula flowers tend to have a musky yet sweet herbal scent.
History and Origins
Plants of the Calendula genus originate in Europe, northern Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia.
Etymological Meaning
The genus name “Calendula” comes from a diminutive form of the Latin word calens which translates roughly to “the first of the month.” It is thought that this refers to the flower’s ability to bloom throughout the year in mild climates.
The common name marigold comes from “Mary’s gold” and refers to an old tradition of placing these golden-colored flowers at the feet of statues of the Virgin Mary as offerings to accompany one’s petitions for prayers.
Uses and Benefits of Calendula
Calendula has a variety of uses and benefits. The flowers have a history of being used as a remedy for headaches, toothaches, and red eyes. Today, calendula oil is still used medicinally for its anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antigenotoxic effects. It can be found in topical ointments and skin care products designed to soothe burns, cuts, acne, and other kinds of skin irritation.
Since its flowers are edible, calendula also has several culinary uses. It can be used fresh or dried in salads, and it is also commonly used in stews and soups – hence the common name for Calendula offincinalis, pot marigold. The flowers are also used for their golden pigmentation to color cheese, custards, and liquors.
Calendula flowers are also used to create natural dyes.
Calendula Flower Colors and Their Meaning and Symbolism
The Calendula flower has been associated with various symbolic meanings throughout the ages. Today, they carry those meanings in addition to others that have been more recently attributed to the flowers. Calendula flowers symbolize grief, remembrance, and despair. Conversely, they are also associated with joy and health. Due to their long blooming time, calendula flowers also symbolize longevity and endurance.
Flower colors can also attribute their own individual symbolic meanings to the flowers themselves. Calendula flowers most commonly blossom in bright orange and yellow hues. Some cultivars and hybrids have also generated white, red, pink, and bicolor calendula flowers. The symbolic meaning of a calendula flower can change depending on its color.
Orange Calendula Flowering Meaning
In flowers, orange symbolizes excitement, joy, vigor, enthusiasm, passion, and positive energy.
Yellow Calendula Flowering Meaning
Yellow flowers are also associated with joy and positive energy. In flowers, yellow also symbolizes friendship, confidence, optimism, and happiness.
Red Calendula Flowering Meaning
Red flowers are most commonly associated with true love and romantic love. They can also symbolize courage, desire, and respect.
Pink Calendula Flowering Meaning
Pink flowers symbolize femininity, happiness, gentleness, and gentle affection.
White Calendula Flowering Meaning
White flowers traditionally symbolize purity and innocence or are associated with mourning, grief, and sympathy.
The Symbolic Meaning of Calendula in the Victorian Language of Flowers
In the Victorian language of flowers, calendula (referred to by its common name, marigold) symbolizes grief. Victorian floriography also associates calendula with prediction. It represents despair, particularly the despair that can be brought about as a result of love.
Calendula and October Birth Flowers
The Calendula flower (along with other types of marigolds and cosmos) is the birth flower for the month of October.
Calendula Flowers and Their Association With Prophecy and Protection
Calendula flowers have held strong associations with protection and prophecy. Placing their petals beneath one’s bed was thought to guard against the dangers of thieves and robbers coming in the night. If someone did fall victim to theft, the petals were also said to bring about prophetic dreams so that a person would be able to recognize and catch the thief.
Additionally, the combined token of calendula and bay leaf was thought to protect one from the dangers of spreading gossip.
Calendula Flowers and Good Luck
Calendula flowers are also thought to bring good luck, specifically in legal matters. If you have a day in court, for example, carrying a calendula flower or petals in your pocket or wearing a calendula flower on your lapel could help you win your case.
Calendula Flowers and the Virgin Mary
Calendula’s common name, marigold, is thought to come from the practice of venerating the Virgin Mary with the golden-colored flowers that were once simply referred to as “gold.” They provided a way for poor Christians to honor Mary with a tribute.
Today, marigold flowers are still strongly connected to the Virgin Mary in Christian traditions. As Mary wears a crown of gold, every golden-colored flower – especially the marigolds carrying her name – is seen as a token of praise, honor, and veneration of Mother Mary.
The Lore of Calendula Flowers
Historically, calendula has had several magical or mystical uses and associations. For example, calendula was included in a 16th-century recipe for a potion that was used to reveal fairies. Simmered in white wine and honey, a powdered blend of calendula, wormwood, thyme, and marjoram was used as an ointment to help a single woman with two suitors determine which was her true love match.
Calendula Flower Use in Ancient Civilizations
The ancient Greeks and Romans wove garlands and crowns of calendula flowers for use in rituals and ceremonies.
Suitable Gifting Occasions for Calendula
Due to their association with Mother Mary, calendula is associated with venerating mothers. As a result, calendula plants, seeds, or cut flowers make lovely Mother’s Day gifts or gifts for a mother’s birthday.
As the birth flower for October, calendulas are also great for celebrating birthdays during that month.
Calendula plants are simply cheerful-looking flowers. For this reason alone, they make beautiful gifts for any happy or celebratory occasion.
Calendula FAQs:
What Do Calendula Flowers Symbolize?
Calendula flowers symbolize grief, despair, and remembrance. They are also associated with endurance, longevity, prophecy, and joy. Due to the flower’s history of medicinal use, it is also associated with health.
Do Calendula Flowers Symbolize Love?
Calendula flowers have many symbolic meanings, but love is not among them.
Do Calendula Flowers Come Back Every Year?
Calendula flowers are perennial and return yearly in USDA hardiness zones nine through 11. They can be grown as annuals down to zone two.
How Lond Do Calendula Flowers Last?
With proper deadheading and maintenance, calendula plants can bloom continuously throughout summer and into the fall. Individual flowers, however, only last for two or three days.
Are Calendula Flowers Toxic?
Calendula is not toxic to humans, dogs, or cats. However, pregnant women should not ingest or use calendula products because they contain chemicals that can cause uterine contractions.
The Color of Treasure and a Rich Symbolic History
Calendula flowers not only don the color of gold, but they also have a rich history of symbolic, medicinal, and cultural traditions. Whether you simply appreciate the story of this beautiful flower or choose to grow them in your garden, there’s no denying that calendula flowers have helped to shape a relatively significant part of the human experience in many parts of the world.
Andrew is the Editorial Director at Petal Republic. He holds a BSc degree in Plant Sciences and has trained professionally at leading floristry schools in London and Paris. In amongst overseeing a global editorial team, Andrew's a passionate content creator around all things flowers, floral design, gardening, and houseplants.
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