Buttercup Flower – Meaning, Symbolism and Colors

Flower symbolism is still important and relevant in our lives. Flowers make our lives more meaningful and more beautiful and we have an opportunity to share our emotions with others without saying a word.

Flowers are not only common gifts for anniversaries and birthdays, because we can surprise people we love any time of the year.

Flower symbolism is helpful when you are in doubt which flower or flower color to choose and gift to someone you love. Sometimes even the color can have a big impact and importance when choosing a flower.

Buttercup flowers are wild flowers, but like many others, they were adopted by us and we fell in love with their bright and bold appearance. They are beautiful additions to bouquets and flower arrangements and we can always choose them to surprise our loved ones.

Meaning of the Buttercup flower

Buttercup flower has several symbolic meanings that tell us a little bit more about the flower itself and its history in human culture. Buttercup flower meanings are:

• Neatness
• Childish
• Humility

Neatness – Buttercup flower symbolizes neatness because of its fine lines and neatly organized flower petals. This is a great flower to gift to someone who doesn’t like large flowers or mess of any kind. These simple but gorgeous flowers are definitely a great choice if you want to send this kind of message to someone dear to you.

Childish – Buttercup flowers also have the meaning of childishness and immaturity. This is probably related to their bright colors and size. Buttercup flowers even have a name that resembles something out of a cartoon.

Humility – Buttercup flower also symbolizes humility. This flower symbolizes humility because of its appearance. Buttercup might not be as extravagant as some other flowers, they still attract attention with their simplicity and beauty.

Charm – This flower is also a symbol of charm and this is a great flower if you want to send someone a message that this person bedazzles you. Buttercup flower is going to send a clear message to someone you really like.

Buttercup flower – Etymological meaning

Buttercup flower belongs to the genus Ranunculus L. And it combines over 93 species. The name Buttercup has several name origins and all of them are linked to an ancient legend.

First legend tells the story about Ranunculus, a young man who was known for its signing voice. Another legend tells the story about cows that used to eat buttercup flowers, which made them produce the sweetest milk of all. The third legend tells the story about fairies and the sack of gold and the fourth story talks about coyote and his eyes. Each story has an interesting way of explaining how the Buttercup flower got its name, and the details of the story can be read in our next section.

Buttercup flower – Symbolism

Like I mentioned in the previous section of the article, Buttercup flower has several myths or stories linked to it. According to the first story, Buttercup got its name in the honor of Ranunculus, a young man with a beautiful voice. Ranunculus sang one day to the wooden nymphs in order to impress them, but he exhausted himself to death and fell to the ground. In honor of his beautiful voice, a small flower that grew on the place where he died, got the name after him.

Another story explains a different origin to the name of Buttercup flower. Supposedly, cows that used to eat or graze on the Buttercup flowers used to give the sweetest milk out of all. Because of this, people gave Ranunculus flower the name Buttercup.

Third story is the one about the miser and the fairies. This story talks about an old miser who dragged his sack full of gold across a field. Fairies saw him and asked him for alms. The miser didn’t want to share his gold, so the fairies cut his sack with a blade of grass and the coins started to fall out of his sack. Wherever the coin fell, a small Buttercup flower grew.

And lastly, the Buttercup flower is also linked to the story about coyote. This story is especially popular in the U.S. according to the story, coyote played with his eyes by throwing them in the air. Meanwhile an eagle caught his eyes and the coyote was left blind. In order to see, coyote used dainty buttercup flower to make himself new eyes. Many still call this flower coyote’s eyes.

Buttercup flower is always a great idea if you want to decorate celebrations for your friends and family members. They can be used as decoration for welcome home celebrations, friendship bouquets and family reunions. Buttercup flowers might not be the most extravagant flowers in the world, but their simplicity and beauty are what mesmerizes people. Buttercup flower usually grows in the nature and wild, but we can still grow it inside of our homes without a problem.

Buttercup – Color meaning

Buttercup flower comes in two colors. Each color has its own symbolic meaning and it is always good to pay attention to this symbolic meaning when gifting someone a flower sort. Buttercup flower comes in these two colors:

Yellow

• Color yellow is usually a symbol of joy, happiness, new beginning and friendship. If you want to make someone’s day brighter and happier, then gift this person a yellow buttercup flower and surprise them. Plant yellow Buttercup flowers in your garden or around your home if you want to bring some positive energy into your life and fill your life with positive energy.

Green

• Color green symbolizes optimism, renewal, good fortune, youth and health. Green Buttercup flower usually grown in the wild, but you can plant it in your garden or even keep it in your home. Color green makes us feel positive and full of energy, and it is always a good idea to have around and inside your home.

Red, pink, orange

•  Buttercup flowers that come in colors pink, red and orange were made by humans. The natural colors of this flower are green and yellow, but we loved the look of them so much that we have decided to add a bit more color options so we can enjoy the beauty of Buttercup flower to the fullest. Color red symbolizes love and passion. Color pink is the symbol of romance, love and gentle nature. And lastly, color orange is the symbol of passion and strong emotions. All of these Buttercup flower colors can be used as parts of a beautiful bouquet that you can gift to someone you love. They are a great way to express your deep emotions for Valentine’s Day, or any other day, to your partner especially if you want to go for something different and unique.

Buttercup – Botanical facts and characteristics

Blossom or Ranunculus belongs to the Ranunculaceae family and originates from Greece, Turkey and Iran. Originally, this is a small meadow yellow flower, while numerous hybrid varieties with a lot of large flowers of different colors (Ranunculus asiaticus) were later created.

The Buttercup flowers can grow in pairs or single. This flower can be found in white, pink, orange, gold and red color. As an ornamental plant, some sorts are primarily grown for decoration of gardens and balconies, while the waterfowl (Ranunculus aquaticus) is an excellent choice for garden lakes.

Buttercup flower is also very appreciated as a cut flower for flower arrangements and bouquets. Buttercup can grow from 30 to 45 cm in height, while the width of this plant is usually about 30 cm. The Buttercup leaves are usually green and blue-ish. Flower blossoms at the end of spring and at the beginning of summer, and they resemble by appearance of the peony flowers if they are double or the poppy flower if they are single.

Raising the Buttercup flower requires that you provide it with well drained land and lots of sunshine. This plant does not tolerate frost. If you provide it with all the necessary conditions and care, the Buttercup will reward you with its beautiful flowers.

When it comes to flower bark, care and maintenance are very simple. In this case you may need to extract bulbs at the end of the season. Let the leaves almost completely bend and then dig the bulbs. Place them in a cool, dry place to evaporate all moisture. Store bulbs in a dark place until spring, and then start growing them indoors in pots. Infiltrate them outdoors when all the dangers of frost pass and when the first true leaves appear.

To grow, they require temperatures not more than 16 C during the day and from 7-10 C overnight to stop the rest and start germination. When it comes to watering, this should be done with adequate liquid fertilizer every 10 days.

Mites and white butterflies are the biggest threat to this flower. You can successfully prevent them from threatening the Buttercup with the use of adequate fungicides.

Buttercup – Secret message

Every lower has a secret message just for us. In this case, Buttercup flower is telling us to enjoy life and to bring more happiness to others and ourselves. Life is not just hard and boring, there are many ways to make life more meaningful and easier to comprehend.

Buttercup flower and even the legends that were created around it, tell us about the importance of happiness and beauty in the world.

Pick a small bouquet of buttercup flowers and place it inside your home to bring in some sunshine and positive energy. To be happy, you don’t have to have a lot of material things. Sometimes it is enough to have people who love you and enough love to give them back the same amount.

Buttercup flower symbolizes friendship, humility and simplicity, but it still sends a clear message to anyone who is receiving it as a gift.