Did you know daisies mean "day's eye"? The stories behind 10 flower names

The names of the flowers blooming in gardens, parks, and shops carry centuries of linguistic history. Modern botanical taxonomies standardized plant classification, but everyday names were forged through visual observation, ancient mythology, and cultural trade. Exploring flower etymologies reveals how past generations perceived the natural world. Keep reading to discover the origin of the names of 10 common flowers.

The common bright yellow flower often dismissed as a lawn weed derives its name from an anatomical comparison. "Dandelion" enters English from the Anglo-French phrase dent-de-lion, which translates literally to "lion’s tooth".

Rather than referring to the yellow blossom, the name describes the plant’s sharp green leaves. Medieval botanists noted that these jagged edges of foliage closely resembled the sharp incisors of a lion. Similar literal translations exist in other languages, including the German Löwenzahn and the Spanish diente de león.

Derived from the Ancient Greek adjective azaleos, meaning "dry" or "parched", the azalea received its name from the pioneering Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century.

Linnaeus picked the name because this flower typically thrives in dry sandy soils and suffers when rooted in waterlogged ground. Though modern gardeners associate azaleas with damp spring rains and temperate woodlands, the name is a tribute to the plant’s preference for dry soil conditions.

The name of the garden pansy originates from the Middle French word pensée, meaning "thought" or "remembrance" (derived from the Latin verb pensare, meaning "to consider" or "to ponder").

During the Renaissance, herbalists felt the flower’s dark center and forward-facing petals resembled a human face bowed slightly forward in deep contemplation. Because of this association, pansies became traditional gifts to signal that the giver was thinking of the recipient, a symbolism later immortalized in Shakespeare’s Hamlet when Ophelia remarks, "there is pansies, that’s for thoughts".

The etymology of "carnation" follows two intertwined historical paths. The most widely accepted origin traces back to the Middle French carnation and the Latin carnatio (derived from caro, meaning "flesh"), referencing the soft pinkish flesh tone characteristic of the original wild blooms.

Another linguistic influence stems from "coronation". In ancient Greece and Rome, carnation blooms were woven into floral crowns (coronae) worn during ceremonial festivities and royal coronation rites. Over centuries of English usage, the terms for flesh color and ceremonial crowns merged into the modern word.

The story of the tulip’s name reflects the historical trade routes between Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. The word comes into English via Middle French (tulipe) and Italian (tulipano), which adapted the Ottoman Turkish word tülbend (derived from the Persian dulband), meaning "turban".

European travelers visiting Constantinople were impressed by the resemblance between the folded layers of fabric in a traditional Ottoman turban and the cup-shaped, overlapping petals of the flower.

"Daisy" stands as an example of Old English botanical descriptive naming. Originating from the compound word dægesēage (literally translating to "day’s eye"), the name describes the flower’s natural sleep movement.

At nightfall, a daisy’s white outer petals fold inward over its central yellow disk. As dawn arrives, the petals unfold, exposing the golden center to the morning sun, mimicking an eye opening at the break of day.

Coined by French botanist Philibert Commerson in the 18th century, "hydrangea" combines two ancient Greek roots: hydr- (meaning "water") and angeion (meaning "vessel", "picher", or "capsule").

Many gardeners assume the name refers to the plant’s high water requirements; however, it actually describes the distinct shape of the plant’s mature seed pods. Once the colorful petals drop, the small seed capsules resemble traditional Greek water jars or pitchers.

Popularly known as pot marigold, "calendula" derives its name from the Medieval Latin calendula, a diminutive form of calendar (the "calends", or the first day of each month in the Roman calendar).

The Romans observed that in mild Mediterranean climates, calendula plants bloomed on or near the first day of almost every month of the year. This way, the name acts as a botanical calendar.

The word "petunia" arrived in European languages during the 18th century through French botanical reports from South America. French herbalists adapted the word pétun, an early French term for tobacco borrowed from petyn, a word used by the indigenous Tupi-Guarani peoples of Brazil.

When early European explorers encountered petunias growing wild in South America, they recognized their close physical resemblance to tobacco plants. Modern taxonomy confirmed this intuition: both petunias and tobacco belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

Named after Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow and divine messenger between heaven and earth, this classic garden perennial boasts an ancient name.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris traveled along rainbows, connecting the realms of gods and mortals. Ancient botanists bestowed her name upon the flower because of its remarkable spectrum of natural colors, ranging from deep purple and cobalt blue to yellow, pink, and white.

Getting acquainted with your food

Deciphering food labels: are these things good or bad for you?

Image: Jon Tyson

Food labels carry useful information for the informed reader. That may sound like a joke but it’s not. Most of us have casually tried to decipher the meaning of all those strange words and numbers on the back of a processed food item but gave up with little to show for it.

Most packaged foods are required to have a label with all sorts of information, including their ingredients, nutritional value, weights and measures, date, directions for use and storage, allergens, and more. Scroll down and learn more about these valuable details!

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Foods with a shelf life of less than two years must have a best-before or use-by date. But, while it sounds similar, these terms mean different things. The best-before date refers to food quality: food stored in the recommended way will remain of good quality until that date. Once the best-before date has passed, the food may still be safe to consume, but it may have lost some quality and nutritional value.

On the other hand, products with a use-by date on food labels should not be consumed after a certain date for health and safety reasons must-have a use-by date. This means they cannot be sold after that date.

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Every label worth its salt must have its ingredients listed in descending order by weight, including added water. The first ingredient listed is present in the largest amount by weight, and the last one listed is present in the least amount by weight.

If an ingredient makes up less than 5% of the food, it does not have to be listed. However, this 5% rule does not apply to any additive or allergen. These must be listed no matter how small the amount.

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Food additives can be used to improve the quality of a food or improve the flavour or appearance of a food. They must be used in the lowest possible quantity to achieve their purpose. These substances are included in the ingredient list according to their class and purpose (for example, anti-caking agent).

In most cases, a chemical name or food additive number will be listed after the class. For example, enzymes and most flavourings only need to list their class name or number. Luckily, the same food additive numbering system is used throughout the world.

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The nutrition information panel tells the quantity of various nutrients a food contains per serve, as well as per 100 g or 100 ml. That serving size is determined by the manufacturer and will often vary among products.

This panel lists the energy content, proteins, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, and sodium. Very small packages and foods like herbs, spices, salt, tea and coffee, or single-ingredient foods don´t need to show this information.

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This one is tricky. The terms used by manufacturers present their products in a very positive light, even when there is no real value to be found.

For example, the term ‘light’ or ‘lite’ doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is low in fat, but it may refer to the texture, colour or taste of the product. If an item claims to be 93% fat-free, it contains 7% fat, but it looks so much better the other way. ‘Baked not fried’ sounds healthier, but it may still have just as much fat.

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Percentage Daily Intake (%DI) symbols display a product’s nutrient amount as one serving, and the percentage of an average adult’s requirements that it provides.

These symbols display energy, and other nutrients, like fat, sugars, sodium, carbohydrates, protein and a vitamin or mineral.

Keep in mind that %DI is based on serving size and, since serving sizes vary as they are set by manufacturers, it can be difficult to use when comparing products.

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Perhaps the most important item on this list is the information about food allergies or intolerance. Foods or ingredients that may cause severe adverse reactions must be declared on the label no matter how small the amount.

Common foods that may cause allergies are peanuts and other nuts, fish and shellfish, milk, eggs, wheat, sesame seeds and soy, among others. Gluten-containing cereals also need to be declared on food labels for people with conditions like celiac disease.

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This type of labelling details where the product was grown, produced, made or packaged. Most packaged food must have a country of origin label if it's sold in a retail setting, such as a supermarket, local store or market, online or from a vending machine.

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Different types of sugar have different names. Food manufacturers may use this to their advantage by purposely adding many different types of sugar to their products to hide the actual amount and, by doing so, they can list a healthier ingredient at the top, mentioning sugar further down. So even though a product may be loaded with sugar, it doesn’t necessarily appear as one of the first three ingredients.

To avoid inadvertently consuming a lot of sugar, watch out for any ingredients with the word "sugar", or "syrup", on their composed names.

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In the same way it happens with sugar, sodium also can be disguised under many different names. For example, there’s salt, sodium benzoate, disodium or monosodium glutamate, to name a few.

This is important to know because too much sodium can raise blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.