Dusty Miller Flower Symbolism Facts & Meaning: Zodiac, Superstitions, Dreams, and Legends
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Dusty Miller Flower Facts
Dusty Miller refers to several species of silvery-leafed plants in the genus Jacobaea or Senecio. Dusty Miller is botanically known as Senecio cineraria. Senecio is a shortened version of the Latin word Senex, which means “old man” in English. It refers to the fluffy white seed heads that are common in this genus and resemble the white hair on an old man’s head. The plant’s ash-colored foliage is referred to as cineraria.
Silver ragwort, Velvet centaurea, Maritime ragwort, and Silver dust are other names. Some botanists also call it Jacobaea maritima.
Dusty Miller plants are silvery-haired shrubby flowering plants of fine hair. The leaves of the herbaceous species are covered in fine matted hairs, giving them a felted or wooly, silver or white appearance. The underlying green leaf becomes more visible when wet, and the white color is less intense when grown in the shade. Color can also differ depending on the cultivar. The stiff, hairy stems have 2-6 inches long alternately or spirally arranged leaves. The lance-shaped leaves are indented in various ways. Some cultivars have highly dissected leaves.
The plant can grow up to 23 inches tall. They prefer sunny, partly shaded areas. Dusty Miller plants can be found in northwest Africa, far Western Asia, and southern Europe. Dusty Miller is commonly purchased as a bedding plant, but it can also be grown from seed or cuttings. In the summer, you can take tip cuttings from semi-hard wood for propagation. There are few pests on this plant making it not popular with deer.
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Dusty Miller Flower Uses
The Dusty Miller works well as a filler for cut flowers. The bright silver foliage contrasts nicely with bright florals and it is a nice change from the usual green fillers. It is not the most long-lasting green cut, but it adds a lovely touch of elegance to any arrangement.
Dusty Miller is an herb and used to make medicine. People use the Dusty Miller to treat “spots before the eyes”, and also as an eyewash to treat cataracts and blurred vision. Despite serious safety concerns, it is used by women to begin their menstrual periods and treat migraine headaches. Dusty Miller contains dangerous chemicals that can be absorbed quickly through broken skin and cause dangerous systemic toxicity. Avoid skin products that are not certified and labeled “hepatotoxic PA-free.” There isn’t enough information to know if applying Dusty Miller to unbroken skin is safe. It is best to avoid using it.
Dusty Millers can be extremely dangerous to use. There is some concern about using Dusty Miller as medicine because it contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), which can block blood flow in the veins and cause liver damage. Cancer and birth defects may also be caused by hepatotoxic PAs. Unsafe Dusty Miller preparations are those that are not certified and labeled “hepatotoxic PA-free.”
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Dusty Miller Flower History
Dusty Miller is native to the western and central Mediterranean regions, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Spain, Gibraltar, Corsica, Italy, and Turkey. It is found mostly on cliffs and rocky coastal areas.
It has also become available in Great Britain and Ireland, where it is mostly found in mild coastal areas and locally in North America.
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Dusty Miller Flower Positive Symbolism
Dusty Miller is a symbol of harvest and continuity.
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Dusty Miller Flower Negative Symbolism
No negative symbolism associated with this flower.
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Dusty Miller Flower Cultural Symbolism
In St. Louis, it is grown as an annual flower. Seedlings should be started indoors 10-15 weeks before the last frost date. Starter plants are typically sold in cell/six pack quantities at a wide range of retail outlets. After the last frost date, the seedlings/starter are planted outside. It is easily grown in average, evenly moist, well-drained soils under full sun to part shade. Full shade is tolerated, but foliage color is best in partial shade. The gardeners typically remove flower buds as they appear and shear the plants back if they become leggy. Although cuttings for overwintering can be taken in the fall, most gardeners simply buy new plants in the spring.
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Dusty Miller Flower Zodiac Sign
The plant can be associated with its other name, Centauria (a centaur). The zodiac Sagittarius, the half-human and half-horse, is the mythological centaur, the learned healer whose higher intelligence bridges the gap between Earth and Heaven. Sagittarius, also known as the Archer, is represented by the symbol of a bow and arrow.
What are Sagittarius’ best characteristics? Sagittarians are optimistic, free-spirited, funny, fair-minded, honest, and intellectual. They are spontaneous and fun, usually with a large group of friends, and are possibly the zodiac’s best conversationalists.
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Dusty Miller Flower in Dreams
Even when interpreting dreams, yellow is the color of friendship. Dreaming of yellow flowers suggests that you or your friends will have good fortune in life. This is a good dream for it shows that you care about your friends.
We are all worried about how our lives and futures will turn out. Dreaming of yellow flowers indicate that we are concerned about our friend’s well-being. They are occupying our thoughts, which is a positive sign.
Silver Dust in dreams represent growth, development, and nurturing. Something should be brought to your attention. You’re romanticizing or idealizing what it is like to have a real family. The dream may also suggests that you are assisting someone in a situation.
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Dusty Miller Flower Omens and Superstitions
No superstition can be connected to this flower.
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Dusty Miller Flower Mythology and Folklore
Dusty Millers known as Velvet centaurea, are named after Centaurs, mythological hybrid beings comprising of a human’s head, arms, and torso, and a horse’s bottom. Chiron was the wisest and most compassionate of them all. Many heroes considered him a friend and tutor, including Hercules, who accidentally killed him when the demigod of force accidentally hit him with his poisoned arrows. In his honor, the Olympian gods ascended Chiron to heaven, forming the constellation Sagittarius. Because of his human and animal nature, Chiron was regarded as a medical and veterinary authority.
Chiron, as a wise man in the field of medicine, would be well aware of the possibilities offered by plants as drugs: the union and confusion of the professions of doctor and botanist were fairly common from Antiquity to Modern Times. According to legend, the plants of the Centaurea family, including the Velvet centaurea, share the distinction of being the first medicinal plants discovered by the centaur Chiron.
