SafePlants

Gillyflower

The name "Gillyflower" appears in connection with several different plants, making identification sometimes confusing. Based on the provided text, here's a breakdown of information related to plants referred to as Gillyflower.

Common Names and Scientific Names:

• Gillyflower: This is a common name that has been historically applied to several different plants.
• Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus): The text links this to the name "Gillyflower", especially when referring to wallflowers.
• Stock (Matthiola incana): Also known as Hoary Stock or Tenweeks Stock.
• Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis): Referred to as Dame's Gillyflower or Dame's Violet.
• White Hellebore: (Implied - see "False Helleborine" below)

The text also mentions a plant that is called "False Helleborine or White Hellebore or European White Hellebore or White Gillyflower or Hoary stock or Tenweeks stock or Matthiola incana". This is ambiguous; "False Helleborine" generally refers to plants in the orchid family (Cephalanthera or Epipactis). The inclusion of "White Hellebore" (Veratrum album) and Matthiola incana suggests the original source might have conflated these different plants.

Considerations for Pets

• The name "Gillyflower" is associated with Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus), which are often present in bouquets and gardens.

Considerations for Children

• The name "Gillyflower" is associated with Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus), which are often present in bouquets and gardens.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits:

• Flowers of Matthiola incana range in colors from white to red and purple, pale yellow, lavender, and peach.
• Hesperis matronalis has distinctly veined flowers that are usually lilac, purple, or sometimes white.

Quirky Facts:

• In Elizabethan and Victorian times, Gillyflowers were popular in cottage gardens.
• Gillyflowers, especially when given as a gift, represent bonds of affection and lasting beauty. White Carnations represent sweet and lovely innocence, pure love and woman's good luck.
• The text implies a historical belief that variegated gillyflowers were "false-born and unnatural," stemming from the observation that their color variations didn't follow typical hybrid inheritance patterns.