Most of the names by which we are accustomed to designate familiar forms
of the vegetable kingdom have descended to us from remote times and from
ancient associations. The old terms are for the most part founded either
on the medicinal values of the plants or on some mythological fancy that
accounted for their creation or form.
The Carnation derived its generic name from the latter source. The term
Dianthus is derived from two Greek words, signifying flower of Jupiter,
while the specific name, caryophyllus, is obtained from words meaning
nut and leaf, originally applied to the clove tree, but later given to
the Carnation, because of its spicy fragrance. Again, the word Carnation
is from the Latin, meaning flesh, and was deemed appropriate because of
the pink and white color of the petals.
The name Dianthus, or flower of Jupiter, originates in a Greek myth,
that had to do with the establishment of Olympus. Jupiter had escaped
the unpleasant fate that befell his brothers, namely, of being swallowed
by their unnatural parent, Saturn. Jupiter married Metis (Prudence), who
straightway demonstrated the fitness of her name by bestowing on Saturn
a draught which caused him to disgorge his domestic bill of fare, and
the sons, banding together, imprisoned their father and his brother
Titans and divided their empire among themselves. Jupiter inherited the
heavens and became king of gods and men. When the Thunderer came into
possession of his kingdom Vulcan, the celestial artist, crowned him with
a chaplet of beautiful flowers, whose white petals Iris had marked with
the colors of the rainbow, their edges being bright with the plumage of
the peacock, which was the favorite bird of Juno, as was Iris, her
chosen attendant, after she espoused Jupiter and became queen of the
gods. Hence the Dianthus became the flower of Jupiter.
The Carnation has been under cultivation for more than two thousand
years. Theophrastus, who gave the plant its technical name, states that
“the Greeks cultivated roses, gillie flowers, violets, narcissi and
iris,” gillie flower being the old English name for the Carnation,
having been bestowed upon it for the reason that it bloomed in July. It
was also called the Coronarium because it was the coronation flower of a
queen of Italy during whose reign in the sixteenth century the plants
were introduced into England.
From their first appearance in England Carnations took a firm hold on
the popular fancy, varieties began to be formed, the original flesh
color being broken up into red and white. The remarkable susceptibility
of the plants to cultivation, their beauty and fragrance, so appealed to
the florists of Italy, France, Germany and Holland that in 1597 Gerard
wrote that “to describe each new variety of Carnation were to roll
Sisyphus’ stone or number the sands.”
The Carnations of to-day originated about 1840, as a distinct race.
Special attention was given in Europe to the elaboration of the plants
by M. Dalmais and M. Schmitt, and the varieties created by them were
imported to America in 1868. Bench cultivation was started in the United
States in 1875 and became so popular that in 1892 the specialist or
“Carnationalist” first became known. At that time there were about five
hundred distinct varieties, all of American origin.
The Carnation is a native of Central and Southern Europe. Since its
introduction into England it is said to have escaped cultivation and to
have become fixed in several localities. In its cultivation three
general classes have been established by English specialists. The selfs
are plants whose flowers have a uniform color. The flakes possess a pure
ground of white or yellow, flaked or striped with one color, the stripes
running longitudinally through the petals. The bizarres are such as have
a pure ground, marked as in the flakes, but with two or three colors;
this form possesses the most fragrance, especially when there is a
frequent recurrence of the stripes. Lastly there are the picotees,
having a pure ground, each petal being bordered with a band of color.
This last form includes many of the rarest varieties and the yellow
picotee is famous in several royal establishments.
[Illustration: CARNATIONS.
(Dianthus caryophyllus).]
It is a peculiar fact that rain will injure the colors of the more
delicate varieties, and the florist must shield the opening flowers from
direct sunlight if he would obtain the best results.
In the perfect flower the pod and calyx should be long, the flower
circular, not less than three inches in diameter, rising gradually
towards the center, so as to form a sort of crown. The outer petals
should be large and few in number, rising slightly above the calyx and
spreading horizontally, the other petals being regularly disposed above
them, nearly flat, diminishing in size towards the center. The ground
should be a pure color and the petals wax-like.
The Carnation is allied to the pink family, and consequently is related
to the modest Indian pink, the Chinese pink and the Sweet William. These
lowly forms doubtless nourish a secret pride in their relationship to
the illustrious head of the house, concerning which Shakespeare said,
“The fairest flowers of the season are our Carnations.”
Charles S. Raddin.