Heather (Lavender) Meaning

Lavender heather can vary in shades of purple. 

It can be a light color or a darker color.  Regardless of the shade, it means admiration.  If an individual admires someone, it was customary to show his admiration through the gift of flowers, specifically heather.

Lavender heather also meant solitude or a drearier symbol, loneliness.  For heather that’s a shade more purple than lavender, it can also mean beauty.  Along the same lines as admiring someone for their specific qualities, you can give them lavender heather or purple heather to express the admiration you feel for them.

• Name:  Heather (Lavender)
• Color:  Heather (lavender) comes in various shades of purple.  For some flowers, the color takes on a more pastel hue.  For others, it’s a darker shade of violet.
• Shape:  From afar, heather can look like a bottle brush with purple bristles.  If you look closely, you’ll see that the purple bristles are bell shaped flowers.
• Fact:  Heather is also called calluna which is a derivative of the Greek word, kallunein.  This relates to the action of cleaning.
• Poisonous:  The native species of heather is not poisonous.  But the exotic species like the kalmia have toxins that can harm people and animals.
• Number of Petals:  Heather has four lavender colored petals.
• Victorian Interpretation:  Based on the color of the heather blossoms, this means admiration and solitude.  Darker shades of purple for heather can have a different meaning like beauty.
• Blossom Time:  Heather starts to bloom starting in the later part of July.  Hillsides growing lush with heather turn lavender in August.

Superstitions: 

Heather also has a symbolic meaning for good luck.  Because of this belief, people used heather on their bedding and also for thatching their roofs.  In the world of witchcraft, heather is burned and its ashes sprinkled all over the broomsticks – and used to sweep away bad spirits.

• The Shape:  When heather blankets a hillside, it can easily turn green terrain into a lavender covered terrain from July to November.  But as you move closer to the plant, it’s going to take shape like a purple bottle brush.  What looks like bristles from afar will look more like lavender bells hanging from the stem of heather.
• Petals:  Heather (lavender) has four small petals.  They’re all held together into the tube shaped stem.
• Numerology:  Heather falls under the expression number 11.  In the same way that the color purple represents a higher spiritual plane, it’s consistent with the number 11.  It also talks about intuition and idealism.
• Color:  There is more than one shade of lavender heather.  You won’t find much difficulty when looking for heather that has a mixture of violet and pink color – and the hues of its color can go from light to dark.  Essentially, smaller blossoms of heather have lighter shades of purple.  And as the blossoms grow bigger, their lavender shade is more pronounced.  Keep in mind that with the difference in hue, the meaning of heather can change slightly too.

Herbalism and Medicine:  

Out of the parts of heather, it’s mostly the flowers that have a medical purpose.  Mixed with tea or used as oil, it works as an antiseptic, expectorant, diuretic and also a diaphoretic.

There are people who will swear by its medicinal properties for curing insomnia.  With the compounds that heather has, it can also give strength to the heart.  People with low blood pressure can get a small boost of pressure using heather.  It can also help cure cough, skin problems and stomachache.

In terms of improving the flow of bile, heather also works.  Difficulty in peeing is also what heather flower can help you with.