Snapdragon Flower – Meaning, Symbolism and Colors
Snapdragon flower or Antirrhinum belongs to a wide family with over 40 different flower species. This flower grows all around North America, Europe and North Africa. Even though it can grow in several ground types, it is best known for growing out of rocky grounds and places. It was particularly interesting to people because the head of the flower (part with petals), looked like a dragon when you squeezed it.
Flower symbolism is often underestimated, even though we all think before we buy a certain flower sort for someone. We carefully choose the color of the flower, its shape and symbolic meaning.
Back in time when people didn’t have many opportunities to entertain themselves, they would find entertainment in nature. Snapdragon belonged to one of the more interesting flowers, because of its ability to grow on rocks and stones and because its flower looked similar to a dragon.
Flowers were our helping hands in times when we needed to express our emotions and feelings. There was no need to speak all you had to do is to gift someone their favorite flower. It is pretty much the same today, except we know a lot more about the flowers we give and their symbolic meanings. We carefully choose the ones that are going to make the person feel special and loved.
Meaning of the Snapdragon flower
Flower meaning helps us to determine which flower sort to gift to someone. There is a big difference between gifting a white rose and the red one. The person for whom you are choosing a flower needs to feel the message you are sending.
If you are in love with this person, then you need to choose flowers that are going to express that, because this person is certainly going to find a deeper meaning behind your gift. Snapdragon flower has several important meanings that you need to pay attention to when gifting a Snapdragon flower.
These symbolic meanings are:
- Grace
- Strength
- Deviousness
Grace – Snapdragon flower is a symbol of grace and virtue. This flower stands tall and straight up to the sky. It almost reminds us of a person who is proud and won’t let anyone tell her what to do. Snapdragon flowers can be gifted to people you appreciate and love. They are going to send them a clear message, and that is the message of respect and admiration. No matter to which you are gifting this flower, you can be certain that no person will get offended or confused by your message. You can confidently gift this flower to your partner, mother or even a co-worker, without being afraid of sending the wrong message. This flower is only going to pass on to them a message of respect, admiration and grace.
Strength – Snapdragon has often been used as a symbol of strength. This flower grows on rocks and stones, in places that are not particularly suitable and fruitful. Because of this, it was often used as a symbol of strength and fighting against of all odds. People would often associate Snapdragon’s ability to grow on difficult places with person’s ability to overcome problems and issues in life. You can gift this flower to anyone you love and find to be a strong and resilient person. This is a gorgeous flower with a very strong message, so you can be sure that the recipient is going to receive a clear message from you.
Deviousness – Snapdragon flower also symbolizes deviousness. In ancient times, Snapdragon flowers were sent between lovers as a symbol of love and lust. Those who were married as well would send these flowers to their mistresses and lovers, in order to tell them they are still important for them. This flower was also used as a tool to say that you are sorry, especially in Victorian times. Since it had a truth-telling capability, it was often used as the flower that begged for forgiveness.
Snapdragon – Etymological meaning
The Latin name for the Snapdragon flower, Antirrhinum, comes from the Latin words “anti” which means similarity and the “rhis” which in translation means nose. They often associated the unusual Snapdragon flower to a monkey face, because the petals are shaped in a way which resembles a face of a monkey. The Snapdragon flower has the adjective “majus” or large, because of its ability to grow in great heights.
The name “Snapdragon” came from the shape of the flower which resembled a dragon’s face. When you squeeze the flower the petals form a shape that is very similar to a dragon’s face. Because of this, people started calling this unusual flower Snapdragon flower. In other cultures, people use names such as “grand muflier”, “Grosse Lowenmaul”, “Garten Lowenmaul”, “boca de dragon” and “žabji gobec”.
Snapdragon – Symbolism
The Snapdragon flower symbolism is very interesting. Ancient cultures were mesmerized by its unusual appearance and ability to grow out of rocky places. The most unusual symbolism of this flower is linked to its grace and femininity. People considered this flower to be a symbol of female strength and grace, because of the way it grew out of rocky places and stood against difficult living conditions. Women didn’t have much power in those times, so giving a woman this flower meant you highly respected this woman and loved her.
Another symbolism linked to the Snapdragon flower is the symbolism of importance and power. People who used to own a Snapdragon flower or concealed it, were considered fascinating and highly respectful. This peculiar flower demanded respect and admiration from every person and it was widely known that owning this flower had a specifically strong symbolism.
The Snapdragon flower was also used by women to express their desire not to be disturbed by other men and to send a message to other men that she was taken. They used to weave their hair with this flower and decorate their heads with it to send this strong message. Because of this, the Snapdragon flower was a symbol of deception and denial to many cultures.
Many also believed that the Snapdragon flower had the ability to scare away evil. It was believed that this flower had the ability to protect people from a curse, bad luck or any other evil. In Germany, the Snapdragon flower was hanged above a baby’s crib to protect the baby from bad luck and negativity. This only show how important the symbolism of this flower is and how people looked at it. To many it was a symbol of energy and powerful strength.
The Snapdragon flower was also a symbol of presumption. Since women used to wear it in their hair to send a message to other men that they are not interested, many linked this symbolic meaning to the Snapdragon flower. Another example of this symbolic meaning is the fact that this flower was sent to another person, when you wanted to tell this person that he or she is attractive but also deceptive and a little bit dangerous.
Even though there are some negative symbolic meanings linked to the Snapdragon flower, it is still often used in bridal bouquets as a symbol of grace and strength. In those cases, people only look at the positive side of this flower and ignore the negative.
Snapdragon – Color meaning
Snapdragon flower comes in several colors. Each color has its own symbolic meaning and before you gift this flower to someone you care about, take a closer look at the symbolic meaning behind a certain color.
The Snapdragon flower can also have color variations and not just one solid color. In those cases, you can gift or plant this flower without being too worried about the message it is hiding.
Purple
- The purple Snapdragon flower is a symbol of spirituality and royalty. You can gift this flower to anyone you love and care about, since this symbolic meaning doesn’t affect your intention to surprise someone. Color purple in general is a symbol of royalty, class, nobility, spirituality and higher positions. Therefore, there is no reason not to share this flower color to anyone you consider worthy of it.
Red
- Color red is a symbol of passion, love and romance. This flower can also be a symbol of energy and power, so you can gift this flower to someone you love and feel passionate about. No matter if this person is not your partner, you can express deep emotions that aren’t romantic to someone you really care about. color red sends a very straight forward and powerful message to anyone, so there is no mistake with sending this color if strong effect is what you are looking for.
Yellow
- Color yellow is a symbol of happiness, positive energy, good luck and optimism. You can gift the yellow Snapdragon flower to anyone you love and care about. This color sends a positive message to a person who is dear to your heart that you want to see happiness and joy in her life.
White
- White Snapdragon flower is a symbol of purity, grace, spirituality, good magic and innocence. This flower color can be gifted to someone you like and find to be worthy of such adjectives. Color white is always a good choice if you want to surprise someone but you don’t want to send any kind of strong message or message that alludes on anything in particular.
Orange
- Color orange is a symbol of positive energy and passion. An orange Snapdragon flower can be gifted to anyone, especially if you want to make this person feel good and if you want to bring some positive energy into this person’s life.
Snapdragon – Botanical facts and characteristics
The Snapdragon seeds derived from the southern parts of Europe, but it also grows in North America and North Africa. It is a highly resistant and indigestible plant that loves growing in the open space until winter, but in early spring it begins to grow once again. It flourishes for a very long time, sometimes even until winter, and if the winter is mild it can keep its flower all year long.
You can plant it with a seed and is usually planted under glass during February, and it is then kept in open at the end of April and early May. You can also plant it directly in the garden, and if you want it to flourish later, it should be planted in June. It is good to shorten the young plant at the tip, because this is going to stimulate the growth of the branches.
The Snapdragon flower is not demanding and tolerates well grassland which is slightly moist and well drained. This flower loves sunny places, but will grow well in shady places as well. There are various types of plants. There are low ones that grow only ten centimeters, and the high ones that can reach a height of one meter.
They come in various colors, there are white, yellow, orange, red, purple, as well as all the possible nuances between these colors. Two-color species can also be seen in recently.
When planting, keep in mind the spacing between the plants. It should be at least 25 cm and above. Once you plant this plant in your garden, since it is prone to self-growth, for years you will find new plants growing out of the ground. As they mingle together, you will always have flowers in different colors.
Lower species fit well into the side plantings along the paths and rocks, and high species are also used as a cut flower for decoration and flower arrangements.
The Snapdragon seeds can be used to make oil and essential remedies that can cure body swelling and other conditions. An ancient historian Pliny wrote about the power of the Snapdragon flower, and people used to rub Snapdragon blossoms on their bodies to make them more attractive. The snapdragon flower is not poisonous for children or pets and it is safe to use in every way. Even though they can grow inside your home, it is best to plant them outside in your garden, where it can spread its flowers and branches high into the sky.
Snapdragon – Secret message
Every flower hides a secret message just for us. The Snapdragon flower is telling you to be careful and not to allow negativity to get you down. This peculiar flower is also telling you that things aren’t always as they appear to be, and that you shouldn’t stick your nose into something that could harm you.
Snapdragon flower is a beautiful flower with a strong and powerful message behind it, and you can use it ad decoration in your home or as a strong remedy against certain health issues. In any case, this flower is most beautiful when it is in your garden, free to grow and flourish.
