Camellia
The faintest streak that on a petal lies
May speak instruction to initiate eyes.
(The Mystery of Flowers, Bryant)
One Victorian ascribes a distinctly negative meaning to the camellia, which at that time was also known as the Japan Rose. Henry Phillips in his Floral Embles (1839) said that the camellia conveyed the message "Beauty is your only attraction" because it had beautiful flowers but no scent.
Forsythia
(Not yet found out what this one means!)
This was one of the first flowers I remember as my mother used to bring in the bare twigs in bud for them to burst into flower in the house.
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