Petunia Flower Symbolism Facts & Meaning: Zodiac, Superstitions, Dreams, and Legends
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Petunia Flower Facts
The Petunia Flower is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Solanaceae family, also known as nightshade. There are 35 different species of Petunia with a variety of colors and sizes that makes them a popular option as a decorative plant. The striking flowers come in every color and a single flower can be multicolored in variegated and striped varieties. It has a trumpet shape. What’s more, Petunias can have double flowers and ruffled petals. These gorgeous flowers can bring bright color to your home and the good news is that they can blossom all year round. It is an interesting fact that the common Petunia Flower is edible with a flavor sweet and spicy to the mouth.
Petunia got its name from “petum” which means “tobacco” from the Tupi-Guarani language in South America. They are native to South America and were introduced to Europe in the 17th century. Petunias favor tropical climates and prosper in sunny areas but some varieties are hardy plants and can withstand harsh conditions except for frost. They mainly get pollinated in the wild by species of insects and hummingbirds that have evolved to be capable at pollinating Petunias.
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Petunia Flower Uses
Due to the incredible diversity of the Petunia Flower in color, size, and height, they are a popular plant for ornamental decorations in gardens all over the world. Gardeners can place the Petunias in any place they desire as long as there is plenty of sunlight.
Petunias are versatile decorative flowers. They can be grown in baskets, containers, window boxes, and as hanging plants for an extra touch of color up high. It is also common for the plant to be used as ground cover. Some Petunias can grow horizontally and are great options for planting along fences.
One species of Petunia in Ecuador, Petunia integrifolia, are reportedly used as a hallucinogen for native rituals. Native Ecuadorians call the plant shanin and consume it to invoke the sensation of flight and levitation.
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Petunia Flower History
Petunia came a long way from being an overlooked and undesirable native flower in the South America to being one of the most popular garden flowers that it is today.
In the mid-1700 Spanish explorers first encountered a wild variety of the Petunia, a white-scented axillaris that grow low on the ground in trails. Natives called it petum which roughly translates to “useless tobacco plant that can’t be smoked.” Due to the flower’s negative connotations and unremarkable properties, it is largely ignored by the early European explorers.
Petunias are indeed related to tobacco as part of the Solanaceae family. Other members of the family includes chili peppers, eggplants, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
It was not until 300 years later when in the early 1800s that a sample of the white Petunia plant was sent to Spain and was finally cataloged by botanists as belonging to the tobacco family. Sometime later in 1831, a purple variety of the Petunia was reportedly found by Scottish explorer, John Tweedie. Samples were sent to Glasgow Botanical Gardens.
These two species of Petunias, white Petunia axillaris, and purple Petunia violecae, were a fascination for European breeders. By the end of the century, the Petunia Flowers were cross-bred and developed into a number of colors, sizes, and shapes. These new varieties of Petunia hybrids are referred to as Petunia x hybrid.
The Japanese eventually successfully learned how to breed the highly sought-after double Petunias by applying Mendel’s Law of Heredity. Breeders continue to develop and evolve the Petunia Flower into different varieties up to 1996 and transformed it into one of the most popular garden flowers it is today.
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Petunia Flower Positive Symbolism
Like the many varieties of Petunia, the positive symbolism for the flower comes in many forms. In general, a Petunia Flower positively symbolizes intimacy, familiarity, and trust for both friends and partners.
Specific positive symbols depend on the color of the Petunia Flower. Pink Petunias symbolize compassion, gentleness, and motherly love. Red Petunias symbolize a strong passion or desire for a partner. White Petunias symbolize innocence, purity, dignity, and trust. Yellow Petunias symbolize friendship, respect, and sympathy. Blue Petunias symbolize stability, deep trust, and reliability for friends or partners. Lastly, purple Petunias symbolize charm, fantasy, and grace.
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Petunia Flower Negative Symbolism
Petunias also have negative symbolism which is conveyed if given to someone with recent disagreements. The flower negatively symbolizes deep resentment and anger. The rare black Petunias also symbolize death, bad karma, and feelings of doom. Best not to give to someone that is not on friendly terms.
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Petunia Flower Cultural Symbolism
The Petunia has a contradictory symbolism in most cultures. It can mean resentment towards a stranger or acquaintance, but it can also mean familiarity, intimacy, and trust toward friends, family members, or a partner. The meaning change depending on the relationship between the giver and receiver, the occasion, and its colors. Petunia’s symbolism leaned more towards the negative when it was first cultivated in the Western world.
However, it evolved to symbolize a variety of positive meanings as more colors are introduced. During the Victorian era, Petunias that are present at weddings conveyed the message: “your presence suits me.”
In certain native cultures of South America, Petunias are important flowers used for rituals due to their hallucinogenic properties.
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Petunia Flower Zodiac Sign
The Petunia Flower is associated with the Zodiac sign of Capricorn. Like the Petunia Flower, Capricorn is said to have two different sides to its personality. Capricorns are realistic, ambitious, driven, and great at working on achieving practical goals. However, they can be pessimistic and down on themselves whenever they are met with challenges. This may also cause them to focus on negativity and to self-isolate.
The Petunia Flower’s contrasting symbol of friendship and resentment connects its symbolism to the Capricorn’s dualistic traits.
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Petunia Flower in Dreams
Just like its wide variety of colors and symbols, there are many dream interpretations of Petunia, both positive and negative depending on the flower’s form in the dream. These interpretations vary, including achieving victory in love, having a pleasant day with friends, making progress and gaining success at work, boredom, and even deception.
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Petunia Flower Omens and Superstitions
In New Age folklore, there is a superstition that Petunias only grow and thrive in places that are full of positive energy. If there are no Petunias in sight, there is negativity at the location because Petunias cannot grow if there is negative energy.
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Petunia Flower Mythology and Folklore
Petunia in Mayan and Inca mythology are viewed positively because the scent is said to protect people from spirits and monsters that come from the underworld, ready to do harm.
There are also myths that use Petunias to serve drinks because of their trumpet-like shape.
