ONCE known as gilliflowers, carnations have been grown throughout Asia and Europe for thousands of years, probably before written records were kept. Forms of dianthus, of which the carnation is a small group, have been extensively bred over the centuries, and there are now thousands of cultivars for garden use and the cut-flower trade. And when it comes to wedding buttonholes, today you’ll see anything from an orchid to a carrot, but over the past century or so, the traditional lapel adornment was always a single carnation bloom. Let’s take a closer look at these amazing flowers.
■ The name ‘dianthus’ comes from the Greek words Dios (meaning ‘of Zeus’) and anthos (‘flower’).
How the name arose
THE name ‘carnation’ used to mean ‘flesh colour’, from the Latin , meaning ‘fleshiness’. The flower probably got its name from its pink colour. However, the bloom, or ‘crown’ (perhaps because it was used in wreaths on the head). Whichever was the original name, the two words fused and, since around 1600, the word ‘carnation’ has been used.
