Mountain Laurel Mystique: The Intricacies of Kalmia Symbolism
Only capable of growing wild in a few select habitats worldwide, Kalmia flowers are perhaps better known as the mountain laurel. Growing in clusters of pink or bright white cup-shaped blossoms, they’re a bountiful bloom with a rich history and powerful symbolic value. Here, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about the Kalmia flower’s meaning, its history and origins, and its cultural significance around the world today.
Kalmia Flower Meaning – The Essentials
In the language of flowers, the Kalmia carries the symbolic meaning of perseverance due to its growth in tough habitats. It can also symbolize trickery due to its crooked trunks and habit of growing densely together.
Etymological Meaning
The scientific name Kalmia is derived from the name of the Swedish botanist who first described them in European journals, Pehr Kalm.
The name mountain laurel is drawn from the plant’s resemblance to true laurel species like bay laurel, which are only native to Mediterranean areas. Other common names include spoonwood, even though the wood is toxic, and calico bush due to the speckled or patterned flowers.
The Meaning, Symbolism, and Cultural Significance of Kalmia Flowers
Common Kalmia Flower Color Meanings
Most Kalmia blooms are a shade of red or white, which lends additional meaning to the flower when it’s used in an arrangement.
- White symbolizes purity, recovery, loss, memory, and healing.
- Pink symbolizes warmth, affection, friendship, the early stages of love, and youth.
- Red symbolizes passionate love, romance, wealth, good health, and new starts.
- Burgundy symbolizes luxury, elegance, devoted romance, and wisdom.
Kalmia flowers tend to be patterned or speckled, giving them multiple meanings depending on the color combinations.
Lambskill and Sheepskill Hint at Toxicity
Two of the less pleasant-sounding common names for these shrubs indicate how dangerous they can be to livestock. Settlers who moved into the native ranges of this plant soon found that even a tiny amount of the leaves or twigs could kill their sheep, young lambs in particular, due to their low body weight. This is due to a grayanotoxin in the entire plant, including the nectar. The honey made by bees that visit the flowers can be dangerous to humans as well. Despite its beauty, Kalmia has a dark side that influences the symbolism of its flowers.
Spoonwood Based on Unreliable Folklore
Another myth involving the Kalmia shrub or tree dates back to Dutch settlers who encountered Native Americans living in the range of the plant. These settlers claimed that the natives told them to use the Kalmia wood for carving spoons and other utensils. However, this is unlikely since the wood itself contains toxins and shouldn’t be used in that way. There is little evidence settlers or natives actually carved any spoons, so it has most likely been just a story from the start.
Mountain Laurel Hells
Early settlers in the Appalachian mountains, where most of the Kalmia species can be found, started to develop names for the dense thickets they formed. One common name was a laurel hell, due to the difficulty of climbing and pushing through the twisted and closely growing trunks of the trees.
A common name for the plant was also mountain ivy. For this reason, a name that also applies to the similar rhododendrons that share the range. Aside from a hell, a tangled thicket of Kalmia might be called a slick. This hints at the challenge and trickery that the plant can symbolize.
A Symbol of Perseverance
Most modern fans of Kalmia flowers use the blooms as a symbol of perseverance. This is due to the plant’s habit of growing in rocky, inaccessible, steep, and high-elevation areas. It’s a great way to show a person you’re proud of them for succeeding despite difficult circumstances.
Suitable Gifting Occasions for Kalmia Flowers
Depending on the meaning you prefer to assign to Kalmia, you may want to use them to send a message when you’re unhappy with someone’s behavior. It can help communicate that you felt someone acted evasively or even unfairly due to the deceitful meaning assigned to this flower. For a more positive message, try using it to celebrate someone who has recently overcome adversity instead.
Kalmia Flower FAQs:
What family is Kalmia in?
Kalmia is part of the large and diverse Ericaceae family, which includes relatives as distinct as the edible blueberry and the toxic Yew.
What does the Kalmia flower mean?
Since the flower was limited to the New World, it didn’t receive a meaning in ancient Greek culture or during the Victorian era. Its more modern meanings include perseverance, trickery, and cleverness.
What is Kalmia used for?
As a toxic shrub, the only safe use of the plant is for ornamental purposes. It’s unsafe to eat any part of it or use the wood for any other purpose.
Is Kalmia an evergreen?
All the current species included in the Kalmia genus are evergreens, although their leaves may wilt or shrivel over the winter.
What does the word Kalmia mean?
The name Kalmia comes from the name of Swedish botanist Pehr Kalm.
Wrap-up
Kalmia is a complex flower with a layered symbolism, befitting its unique botanical characteristics. Make it a part of your landscape or your next floral arrangement to appreciate its dual meaning of resilience and deceit.