Jonquil Meaning

Jonquil represents the feeling of desire – as well as getting the feeling of desire and love back to you. 

It’s also a symbol of sorrow.  All these meanings might have sprung from the Greek myth about Proserpina.

The story goes that she was gathering lilies when she was kidnapped by Pluto, the god of the underworld.  As the god carried her away, she dropped the lilies that she pied and these turned into jonquils.  Their blossoms are dropping down in sorrow for Proserpina.

• Name:  Jonquil
• Color:  Jonquil blossoms come in vibrant yellow.  This is the most common color for jonquil but they can also be in white as well as in contrasting colors like white and yellow.
• Shape:  Jonquils are blossoms with a small cup surrounded by pointed petals.  It almost looks like a cup and saucer.
• Fact:  Jonquil is an old world daffodil.  Talking about flowers like narcissus, daffodil and jonquil, they all mean the same.
• Poisonous:  In the same way that daffodils are poisonous, their old world versions are also poisonous.
• Number of Petals:  This type of blossom has six petals.  They’re pointed and open up flat around the cup of the blossom.
• Victorian Interpretation:  Although many yellow flowers have a negative connotation, the jonquil isn’t one of them.  It means the desire for affection to be returned.  It also means requited love.  On a sadder note, the jonquil also means sympathy.
• Blossom Time:  Jonquils bloom in early spring.  However, there are also some that bloom in the fall.

Superstitions: 

For the ancient Greeks, the jonquil is believed to be the flower of the dead since it is believed that it’s a flower that grows in the underworld.  In other parts of the world like in Maine, USA, it was a superstition that if you pointed to the jonquil with your index finger, it is not going to bloom.

What the Jonquil Means: 

• The Shape:  One of the things that make the jonquil so beautiful is its shape.  With a cup formation right on its center and six petals going underneath it, it looks like a cup with a saucer.
• Petals:  The petals of the jonquil are found underneath the cup formation of the blossom.  There are six in total with pointed tips.
• Numerology:  Jonquil has the expression number 8 in numerology.  The characteristics associated to this number are practicality, power, and also high material goals.  This is symbolized by the planet, Saturn.  On the other hand, the negative qualities of the number 8 are - cold and uncaring.
• Color:  The basic color of jonquil is yellow.  It’s a color that has both positive and negative. Its positive meanings are about desire and getting the same feeling in return but it could also mean sorrow.  There are also jonquil varieties that yield white flowers.  Others even have these two colors. 
• These days, the hybrids of jonquil have spawned magnificent colors of the blossom. Now, aside from the pretty white or yellow jonquil, there are vibrant shades like pink, red, and orange.  It can also be a mix of colors with the cup colored orange and the petals colored white.  If the blossom has multiple flowers in it, it can have more color combinations too.

Herbalism and Medicine:  

Mainly because of the sweet fragrance that the jonquil has, its oil is used for perfume.  There isn’t really any information about the medicinal properties of jonquil but there so much we have to thank for - its fragrant qualities. Essential oils of jonquil are used in aromatherapy to help people get relief from stress, ease the tension in their bodies and calm their troubled minds.