Gender: Feminine
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: “Cherry blossom.”
Pronunciation: (sah-KOO-rah)
Nicknames: Saku, Saki, Suki
Sakura
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Category Archives: Flower
Blanchefleur
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Germanic, French
Meaning: “White Flower.”
Pronunciation: (BLAHNSH-flur)
Nicknames: Blur, Fleur, Blannie, Bonnie, Bar
Details: From the Germanic blanc meaning ‘white, fair’ and the French fleur meaning ‘flower’.
Calluna
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “To beautify and cleanse.”
Pronunciation: (ka-LOO-nah)
Nicknames: Calla, Callie, Luna
Detail: The name Calluna derives from the Greek word kallunein which means “to beautify and cleanse”, which probably derives from the use of Calluna Vulgaris (Heather) twigs as brooms, or from its medicinal properties for treatment of a number of internal disorders.
Calluna Vulgaris is an herb of immortality, and protection. Its Invocatory can be Isis, Osiris, or Venus. It is associated with Midsummer’s Eve.
Poppy
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
Meaning: “Poppy flower.”
Pronunciation: (POP-ee)
Nicknames: Pop
Detail: From the word for the red flower, derived from Old English popæg.
In the Harry Potter series Poppy Pomfrey is the Hogwarts school nurse.
Diantha
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Heavenly flower.”
Pronunciation: (dahy-AN-thah)
Nicknames: Di, Anne, Thee
Detail: From dianthus, the name of a type of flower
Iris
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Rainbow.”
Pronunciation: (AHY-ris)
Nicknames: Iri
Detail: Iris was the ancient Greek goddess of the rainbow, the messenger of the Olympian gods.
Her name contains a double meaning, being connected both with iris, “the rainbow,” and eiris, “messenger.”
Iris can also refer to a genus of ornamental flowering plants, or a part of the eye.
Arolilja
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “Lily of the steppes.”
Pronunciation: (ar-oh-LEEL-yah)
Nicknames: Aro, Ari, Lilja, Lila, Lily
Detail: From the combination of aro meaning “steppes” (steppes are large areas of flat grassy land where there are no trees), and lilja meaning “lily”.
In a medieval, Norwegian ballad, Bendik falls in love with princess Arolilja. A boy tells the king that Bendik is seeing his daughter. Bendik’s punishment is death. Arolilja prays for him to no avail, he is hanged. She dies of heartache, and the king grieves. The two are buried on either side of a church, and up from their graves lilies grow and entwine above the church roof.
Zinnia
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Zinn’s flower.”
Pronunciation: (ZIN-ee-ah)
Nicknames: Zia, Zinn, Zini, Nia
Detail: The zinnia, a flower from the aster family, is named after botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn.
Adlumia
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Pronunciation: (ad-LOO-mee-uh)
Nicknames: Ada, Addie, Luma, Lumi
Detail: A genus of American plants of a single species, a delicate climbing herbaceous biennial, with panicles of drooping flowers. Adlumia for John Adlum, amateur botanist of the late 18th century and early 19th century.
Eldlilja
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Icelandic
Meaning: “Fire lily.”
Pronunciation: (eld-LEEL-yah)
Nicknames: Elda, Eddie, Lilja, Lila, Lily
Detail: From the Old Norse elements eldr meaning “fire” and lilja “lily”
Ouka
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Japanese
Meaning: “Cherry blossom.”
Pronunciation: (OH-kah)
Linnea
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Swedish
Meaning: “Linnaea flower.”
Pronunciation: (lih-NEY-ah); (LIH-nee-ah)
Nicknames: Leah, Nea, Naya
Detail: From the name of a flower, also known as the twinflower.
It was named by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, who named it after himself, it being his favourite flower.
Rhoswen
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Gaelic
Meaning: “White rose.”
Pronunciation: (hross-wen)
Nicknames: Rose, Rosie, Rosa
Azza
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Arabic
Meaning: “Rose of spring.”
Pronunciation: (AH-zah)
Nicknames: Az, Azzy, Zaz, Zazzy
Persephone
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Bringer of death; Destoyer.”
Pronunciation: (per-SEF-oh-nee)
Nicknames: Sephy, Seffy, Poppy, Phee, Effy, Posy
Detail: As the story goes, one day in the valley of Enna, where spring reigns eternal, Persephone was innocently picking flowers. Hades, god of the underworld, saw her and it was love at first sight. He came charging in his chariot into the valley and snatched her away.
Demeter finally persuaded Zeus through adamant pleading, to demand for her daughter back from Hades. Hades agreed to return Persephone as long as she had not eaten anything from the underworld. (There is a permanent bond for those who consume food in the Underworld; they are bound to it eternally.) However the sly Hades, who fancied Persephone to pieces, duped her into snacking on a few pomegranate seeds.
This caused some intense arguing, but Zeus, being the crafty old mediator that he was, came up with an agreement by which Persephone could stay with Demeter in the spring and summer to help out with the botany business and then go back down to live with Hades for six months or so, creating a season for nature to take time off, winter break.
Demeter has never been satisfied with this, and that is why winters are so gaunt and cold. So you can thank Hades for when you have Jack Frost nipping at you.
Ghislaine
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: “Vow; hostage.”
Pronunciation: (gees-LANE); (JEES-lane)
Nicknames: Ghis, Gea, Ghisli
Neela
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Indian
Meaning: “Sapphire; blue; color of the sea.”
Pronunciation: (NEE-lah)
Nicknames: Nee, Neeli
Detail: Neelakurinji is a plant that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands of South India. The Nilgiri Hills, which literally means “the blue mountains”, got their name from these purplish blue flowers that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years.
Fjola
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Icelandic
Meaning: “Violet.”
Pronunciation: (FYOH-lah)
Nicknames: Fee, Yola
Detail: It is the Icelandic form of the Latin Viola meaning “violet.”
Amidala
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Italian
Meaning: “Beautiful flower.”
Nicknames: Ama, Ami, Dala
Suri
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Hebrew Meaning: “Princess.”
Origin: Indian Meaning: “Sun.”
Origin: Persian Meaning: “Rose.”
Pronunciation: (SOO-ree)
