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Ace takes a dive into the history and symbolism of the azalea flower.
Azalea: Rich HISTORY and Symbolism
Azalea: Rich HISTORY and Symbolism
By Ace Case
By Ace Case
Valentine's Day is a truly beautiful holiday with the thoughts of loved ones and gifts of chocolates, jewelry, and flowers. Many of these flowers are perfectly safe, like roses– despite the thorns that they may or may not have– and orchids, peonies, or tulips. However, others may hold unseen dangers and symbolism, such as amaryllis, hyacinth, orazaleas. From affecting an entire Roman military column to being known in many cultural folktales, azaleas have been poisoning people and have been known for their beauty, throughout history.
Azalea flowers have many different meanings and hold many symbols in countries all over the globe, most notably in Asia. In China, they represent elegance and simplicity in poetry and art. They also represent homesickness in Chinese culture and folklore. In Japan, the flower symbolizes self-sacrifice, undying love, and patience. In Korean folklore, they represent love and longing. In the West, the flower was believed to ward off negative energy. However, in Victorian Flower Language, giving someone azaleas was a 'take care of yourself' gesture. Unless they were delivered in a black vase. As herbalist Vladka Merva puts it, “Due to their known toxic properties … azalea blooms in a black vase showed that danger loomed and the recipient should be wary.” Or they are sent as a threat, as ancient history & literature writer, Dani Rhys says, “Usually, a bouquet of this flower is placed on a black vase to indicate the threat.” Most of the symbolism of azalea flowers, though, is along the lines of fragility, elegance, grace, and femininity.
Though it is uncommon for an azalea to cause life-threatening symptoms, the flower is still very much poisonous. In fact, in 65 BCE, a Roman military column was wiped out with the help of the toxin in the flower when they tried to fight the kingdom of Pontus. The king at the time, Mithridates the Great, saw his father killed by poison and was determined not to meet a similar fate and studied poison himself. When the Roman column came in an attempt to defeat him, he had the Heptacomitae, his allies, trick the soldiers into consuming 'mad honey,' which bees made from the azalea flower, among others, since other flowers produce similar toxins. The honey caused the soldiers to hallucinate and be helpless to the enemy. The Romans were not the first ancient military to be poisoned by mad honey. Three centuries earlier in around 401 BCE, hundreds of soldiers under Commander Xenophon consumed the honey. These men met a very different, and quite fortunate fate compared to the Romans, though. As Ben Taub, a freelance writer with a Masters in anthropology explains, “Despite their severe intoxication, though, none of Xenophon’s men died, and all had regained their senses within 24 hours of eating the honey.”
Poisoning from an azalea or mad honey is very rarely lethal. The toxin they produce is called grayanotoxin, and it is a neurotoxin, which simply means it attacks the nervous system rather than cells or the cardiovascular system. Though 'mad honey' is the most common method of grayanotoxin poisoning, as seen by ancient militaries having hundreds of soldiers affected by it at once, it is not the only method. From the National Library of Medicine, “The ingestion of leaves, nectar and flowers of plants containing grayanotoxin can cause intoxication too.” Not only is the honey it produces toxic, but the flowers that produce the poison are noxious, too. However, perhaps that is not much of a surprise.
From mostly harmless flowers like roses to literal poisons like the azalea, there sure is a lot of variety with flowers on Valentine's Day. From stories in ancient wars to East Asian folklore, azaleas have been recognized throughout history for their beauty and danger. Before chomping down on the flowers you were given as a gift, make sure they will not poison you. Or just don’t eat random flowers. That works, too!
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