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CARNATION
Sentiment: Pride and Beauty

"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it."
Psalms 90:17

This text speaks to beauty, to using the work of our hands to establish it, to taking pride in our work. Psalms were a popular form of poetry or song in the ancient Near East. The psalms of the Bible were probably written over a period of five centuries and edited in the fourth century B.C.

Botanical Species: Dianthus caryophyllus
Common Names: carnation, clove pink, gillyflower, grenadine, picotee, and pink

Theophrastus named this flower "Dianthus" about 300 B.C., from the Greek, "dios," of god or divine; and "anthos," flower. Caryophyllus is from the Greek, "caryon," nut, and "phyllum," leaf; this name had previously been given to the clove tree, so the carnation was given this name because of its clove-like scent. Some scholars think carnation is from "carnis," for flesh, referring to the flesh-like color, while others think it is from "coronation" or "corone" because it was used in garlands.

Cultivated for more than 2,000 years, the carnation has more than 2,000 species and has rivaled the rose in commercial importance. Its development took off in the early 1600's and reached a peak in the early 1800's, when carnations were added to the select list of florists' flowers. According to American horticulturalist L. H. Bailey, "the American carnation," the perpetual-flowering carnation, actually originated in France about 1840, and was introduced to America in 1856, where it was improved by American growers. As a result of the flower's popularity, the American Carnation Society was formed in 1891.

Description & Habitat: These fragrant, mostly solitary, flowers have five broad petals with toothed edges that grow on stems with swollen joints and slender, opposite leaves. The flowers are often flesh-colored or pink but may be rose, purple, or white. A native of the Mediterranean region, they are commonly grown as garden "pinks" in Europe and greenhouse "carnations" in America.

© 2001 by CSL Press and Susan Loy. All rights reserved.

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