Flowers are often used as an expression of emotion. Flowers have acquired names and meanings according to each individual characteristic of the flower. There appear to be no fixed rules as to how the names and meanings occur and one flower may have several different meanings according to culture in which it is used.

For example the Chrysanthemum in the East is regarded as demonstrating happiness whereas in Italy it is regarded as bad luck to display a Chrysanthemum inside of the home, where they are associated with death and funerals.

Set out below are some of the common meanings attached to individual flowers.

Amaryllis, Amaryllis means splendid beauty or pride". The flower is also known to represent "innocence" and is sometimes called Hippeastrum, which means, "knight star". The flower contains poisonous substances, which are dangerous to some animal life, but luckily the poison is harmless to man.

Chrysanthemum, The name originates from the Greek name "krus anthemon", meaning gold flower. Chrysanthemums originated in China and Japan, the Chinese named their royal throne after the flower whereas the Japanese depict the flower on imperial weapons; they also have a national festival dedicated to the flower.

Delphinium The name originated from the Latin name "delphis" which means dolphin as a result of the shape of the buds.

Elder, meaning - "magical powers"

Freesia, meaning - "sweetness", the flower was actually named after a German physician.

Gerbera, meaning - "cheerfulness". The flowers are named after a German scientist, this time a Doctor Traugott Gerber. This flower has further similarities with the Freesia in that it too originated in South Africa. The Gerbera is associated with the star sign Leo.

Holly, the name comes from the same word as 'holy'. In the 19th century the holly leaf was believed to cure a fever and it was also understood that beating them with part of a holly bush could cure someone with chilblains!

Iris, the Iris is named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow and although the iris can be found in a variety of colours the most popular colour is blue. Iris can be used to symbolise "hope". The Iris is the national emblem of France. The flower is also interpreted as meaning "wisdom".

Jasmine, meaning - "sensuality"

King Cups, meaning - "desire for riches"

Lily, represents "purity" and is held as an important religious symbol for the Christians the flower was also regarded as holy by the Assyrians. Feng Shui followers believe that the lily is an emblem of summer and abundance whereas the Chinese understand the lily to mean "forever in love".

Magnolia, meaning - "dignity" and also "nobility".

Narcissus (Daffodil), meaning - "narcissism", which comes from the Greek word numbness. The Daffodil is named after Narcissus who, in Greek legend, fell in love with his own reflection. He remained looking at his reflection and the Gods thought that he would die of hunger if he remained there any longer so they turned him into a flower. The daffodil is commonly used to represent "new life" and "hope" the flower is the adopted emblem of Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.

Orchids, meaning - "beauty" also named after the Greek God "Orkhis". The flowers originated in Asia and also South America and there are now over 20,000 species. The flower has always been held in high esteem; in 1595 a Chinese flower-arranging book stated that they ranked the highest in terms of desirability.

Protea, meaning - "don't despair" named after the mythical sea god Proteus.

Queen Anne's Lace, meaning - "abundance"

Rose, meaning - "love", although each individual variety of rose has its own separate meaning. A yellow rose means "joy" and "friendship", whereas a dark crimson rose means "mourning". One Yellow rose with eleven red roses means love and passion. The rose is the symbol of England and is the primary icon for St Valentine's Day.

Sunflower, the botanical name is Helianthus, this comes from the Greek word helios meaning "sun" and and anthos meaning "flower". The sunflower is also known to represent "hope". Sunflower Tulip the name is from the Turkish for turban due to the rounded form of the flower, the red tulip also represents a "declaration of love".

Umbrella Grass, meaning - "style".

Violet, meaning - "faithfulness"

Wallflower, meaning - "fidelity"

Xeranthemum, meaning - "cheerfulness"

Yarrow, meaning - "battles to fight"

Zantedeschia, meaning - "purity"