Zodiac Flowers for All 12 Signs: Nine Lists Agree on Leo’s Sunflower and Split on Virgo, and Culpeper’s Herbal Tied Only 38 Plants to a Sign

Zodiac flowers are the flowers that guides pair with the twelve astrological signs, and no single authority decides which flower belongs to which sign. I compared nine English-language lists from florists, publishers and a tattoo artist. All nine name the sunflower for Leo, eight name the white rose for Cancer, and Virgo and Scorpio each split the lists between two flowers. A printed source that does tie named plants to signs is Nicholas Culpeper’s herbal of the 1650s, which used planets and signs to choose medicines, not to describe personality.

This page treats astrology as a tradition, not as a fact, and nothing here claims that a flower affects anyone born under a sign. It is part of our flower symbolism and meaning guide, and where sources disagree the disagreement is shown.

What are zodiac flowers?

A zodiac flower is a flower that a guide assigns to one of the twelve sun signs, the signs named for the date of birth. Homes & Gardens says zodiac flowers are linked to astrology and that the tradition “derives from the symbolism and personality traits associated with zodiac signs, connecting them with flowers that have similar traits and bloom in that star sign’s season.” It sets them against birth flowers, which it says are “linked to the calendar months and cultural traditions, largely Western and Victorian traditions.”

Get a free pre-planned flower bed (vase-worthy from June to frost)

Printable planting plans for a cut-flower bed and a cottage pollinator bed — plant list, spacing, and calendar included.

Send me the plans

I agree to receive emails from Blooming Expert and accept the Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe anytime.

The two terms blur in practice. Euroflorist writes that “every zodiac sign has a birth flower,” and Hypebae, in a 2018 feature built on designs by a Vancouver tattoo artist, labels each sign’s flower “Your Birth Flower.” The dates also shift by a day or two between pages. O’Deala Rose starts Taurus on 21 April where most pages use 20 April, and Venus et Fleur starts Sagittarius on 24 November where others use 22 November.

What is the flower for each zodiac sign?

The table gives the flower named most often for each sign, with the number of lists that name it, and what Greenaway’s 1884 dictionary says about that flower. Dates follow Almanac.com, and the meanings come from Greenaway’s Language of Flowers. O’Deala Rose has no section for Aquarius or Pisces, so those two signs are counted out of eight lists and the other ten out of nine.

The takeaway is that the lists I read justify their pairings mainly by sign traits, not by the old flower meanings. Almanac.com says lavender “provides calm” for Gemini, and Greenaway’s entry for lavender is “Distrust.”

Where do the nine lists agree, and where do they split?

Nine of the twelve signs have a flower that at least seven lists name: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius and Pisces. Leo is the tightest sign, with only five different flowers named across the nine lists, while Cancer gets eleven and Sagittarius twelve.

The takeaway is that Virgo and Scorpio are genuine splits, not near-agreements. Virgo’s buttercup comes from myThursd, Homes & Gardens, O’Deala Rose, Almanac.com and Rosaholics, and its chrysanthemum from Euroflorist, O’Deala Rose, Venus et Fleur, Almanac.com and Rosaholics. Scorpio’s geranium comes from myThursd, Euroflorist, Homes & Gardens and Almanac.com, and its rose from O’Deala Rose, Venus et Fleur, UrbanStems and Rosaholics.

One list disagrees with itself. The summary at the top of the myThursd page gives Virgo “Chrysanthemum and Aster” and Scorpio “Geranium and Hibiscus,” while its sign-by-sign sections give Virgo “Buttercup” and Scorpio “Geranium”; I counted the sections. Venus et Fleur is the only list that names a dahlia for Taurus, bougainvillea for Sagittarius or hellebore for Capricorn. The Hypebae tattoo list matches the most-named flower in seven signs and differs in five: acanthus for Cancer, morning glory for Virgo, chrysanthemum for Scorpio, narcissus for Sagittarius and carnation for Capricorn.

I did not trace which list copied which, so agreement shows that the lists resemble each other, not that they were drawn up independently.

Is a zodiac flower the same as a birth-month flower?

A zodiac flower is not the same as a birth-month flower, and for the same dates the two usually give different flowers. A sign spans parts of two months, so the table sets each sign’s most-named flower against the birth flowers Euroflorist gives for those two months. For the full month-by-month list, including the months where sources differ, see our guide to birth flowers by month.

The takeaway is that the two traditions almost never meet: among the most-named flowers only Cancer’s white rose shares a plant with a birth flower of its dates, June’s rose. Gemini’s lily of the valley, named by four of the nine lists, also matches May’s birth flower. Several zodiac flowers are another month’s birth flower on the same Euroflorist page. Honeysuckle, the Aries flower on eight of nine lists, is a June birth flower, and marigold (Leo, 5 of 9) is October’s main one. Chrysanthemum (Virgo, 5 of 9) is November’s, and carnation (Sagittarius, 7 of 9) is January’s.

Where do zodiac flower pairings come from?

No source I found documents where the modern pairings began, but Nicholas Culpeper’s herbal The English Physitian, first printed in 1652, is a printed English example of plants tied to planets and signs. Graeme Tobyn, author of a book on Culpeper’s medicine, describes its “consistent correlation of these plants with the seven planets of pre-modern astrology.” The enlarged edition of 1653 has 328 plant entries, and all but six are given a planetary ruler.

The planets were a medical tool. Tobyn says the assignments were meant “to help his readers identify which herbs were required in the treatment of any condition,” by treating like with like or by opposites. Culpeper’s preface puts the idea in a sentence: “every planet cures his own disease.” That differs from the modern lists, which use signs to describe personality, so the two systems answer different questions.

I read the 1850 Thomas Kelly edition on Project Gutenberg. It carries Culpeper’s preface dated 5 September 1653 and adds herbs, so I cite it as “the 1850 edition” and not as the 1652 text. Tobyn’s count of 38 above is for the 1653 enlarged edition. It names a ruler for several flowers on the modern lists. Marigold is “an herb of the Sun, and under Leo,” the cowslip is Venus’s and “under the sign Aries,” and the daisy is “under the sign Cancer, and under the dominion of Venus.” Honeysuckle is “an herb of Mercury” and “Crab claims dominion over it,” and the water lily is “under the dominion of the Moon.” Roses depend on colour: “red Roses are under Jupiter, Damask under Venus, White under the Moon.” Of thistles it says “Surely Mars rules it, it is such a prickly business.”

The same text also names who owns a sign. It says “Aries is in the house of Mars,” Cancer is “the house of the Moon,” the Sun “hath his house in Leo,” Venus has “her signs, Taurus and Libra,” and Capricorn is “the house of Saturn.” That lets the table test the modern lists against Culpeper where his own text gives the sign’s ruler.

The takeaway is that four list pairings match a plant Culpeper put under the sign’s ruler (thistle, white rose, marigold and ivy), the Libra rose matches only for the Damask kind, and two of the most popular pairings do not match (honeysuckle for Aries, poppy for Taurus). None of the nine lists cites Culpeper, so the matches may come from shared symbolism and not from descent. UrbanStems says Cancers “are born under the influence of the moon, so white reflects this celestial body’s purity and brightness,” and Almanac.com says Leo is ruled by the Sun and that the yellow petals of the sunflower resemble “the shape of a lion’s mane.”

Tobyn adds two cautions. Neither John Parkinson, Culpeper’s main source, nor the other herbal authors on Culpeper’s list of authors gave astrological correspondences for their plants, and histories of herbals have called Culpeper’s system “a travesty rather than a reflection of the ancient astrological lore.” The 19th-century flower dictionaries are silent too: Dumont (1851), Tyas (1869), Flora’s Pocket Dictionary (1870), Greenaway (1884) and Worthington’s 1884 New York edition contain none of the words zodiac, astrology or horoscope.

Zodiac flowers in tattoos

A zodiac flower tattoo takes one version of a contested pairing and makes it permanent. The Hypebae feature came from Vancouver tattoo artist Vanessa Dong, who drew a “birth flower” for each sign, and her list differs from the most-named flower for Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. Because the lists differ, the flower in a design depends on which list the artist used. Our flower tattoo meanings guide covers what 20-plus blooms symbolise and how the culture behind each changes the meaning.

Growing your sign’s flower

If you want the plant and not the pairing, these growing guides cover a flower that the lists name for nine of the signs, as the most-named flower or as one of a tie. Aries: honeysuckle guides. Taurus: how to grow poppies from seed. Gemini: lavender guides. Cancer and Libra: rose care guides. Leo: the sunflower growing guide, for the one flower all nine lists name. Virgo: the chrysanthemum growing guide. Scorpio: geranium care guides. Aquarius: the phalaenopsis orchid care guide.

Zodiac flowers FAQ

What are zodiac flowers?

Zodiac flowers are flowers that guides pair with the twelve astrological signs. No single authority sets the pairings, and the nine lists I compared name between five and twelve different flowers per sign.

What flower is my zodiac sign?

Aries is most often honeysuckle, Taurus poppy, Gemini lavender, Cancer white rose and Leo sunflower. Virgo is a tie between buttercup and chrysanthemum, Libra is rose, Scorpio is a tie between geranium and rose, Sagittarius is carnation, Capricorn is pansy, Aquarius is orchid and Pisces is water lily.

Is there an official list of zodiac flowers?

I found no official list and no body that sets one. The lists agree on some signs and split on others, and one of them, myThursd, differs between its own summary and its sign sections.

Are zodiac flowers the same as birth flowers?

No, though some pages use the words interchangeably. Birth flowers follow the calendar month, and in the Euroflorist comparison only Cancer’s white rose, among the most-named flowers, shares a plant with a birth flower of its dates.

Which zodiac signs do the lists agree on most?

Leo and Aquarius. All nine lists name the sunflower for Leo, and all eight lists that cover Aquarius name the orchid. Leo also has the fewest different flowers named, five across the nine lists.

Which signs do the lists disagree on?

Virgo and Scorpio most. Five lists name buttercup and five name chrysanthemum for Virgo, and four name geranium and four name rose for Scorpio. Capricorn is weaker too, with pansy named by six of nine.

Where do zodiac flowers come from?

I found no source that documents where the modern pairings began. Culpeper’s herbal tied plants to planets and signs for medicine, but only 38 of its 328 plants carry a sign, and none of the nine lists cites it.

What did Culpeper say about flowers and zodiac signs?

The 1850 edition calls marigold “an herb of the Sun, and under Leo” and puts the daisy under the sign Cancer and Venus. It also says honeysuckle is Mercury’s herb and that “Crab claims dominion over it.”

Do 19th-century flower dictionaries mention zodiac signs?

The five I searched do not. Dumont, Tyas, Flora’s Pocket Dictionary, Greenaway and Worthington contain none of the words zodiac, astrology or horoscope.

Sources

1. Tobyn, G. Dr Reason and Dr Experience: Culpeper’s Assignation of Planetary Rulers in The English Physitian. In: From Masha’allah to Kepler: Theory and Practice in Medieval and Renaissance Astrology. Sophia Centre Press, 2015, pp. 473–490 (author accepted manuscript, University of Central Lancashire)
2. Culpeper, N. The Complete Herbal, with The English Physician Enlarged. Thomas Kelly, London, 1850 edition carrying Culpeper’s preface dated 5 September 1653 (Project Gutenberg ebook 49513)
3. Greenaway, K. Language of Flowers. George Routledge and Sons, 1884 (Project Gutenberg ebook 31591)
4. Dumont, H. The Language of Flowers: The Floral Offering, a Token of Affection and Esteem. H. C. Peck and Theo. Bliss, Philadelphia, 1851 (Project Gutenberg ebook 71779)
5. Tyas, R. The Language of Flowers: or, Floral Emblems of Thoughts, Feelings, and Sentiments. George Routledge and Sons, 1869. Internet Archive
6. Flora’s Pocket Dictionary: A Lexicon of the Language and Sentiment of Flowers. Porter and Coates, Philadelphia, 1870. Internet Archive
7. The Language of Flowers, Including Floral Poetry. R. Worthington, New York, 1884. Internet Archive
8. Almanac.com. Zodiac Flowers: The Best Flowers for Zodiac Signs
9. Homes & Gardens. What’s your zodiac flower? Discover all 12 and growing tips
10. myThursd. The Ultimate Guide and Meanings of Zodiac Flowers
11. Euroflorist. Zodiac Flowers: What Does Your Flower of The Month Say?
12. O’Deala Rose. Flowers for Each Zodiac Sign: Astrological Floral Guide
13. Venus et Fleur. Finding the Perfect Flower Arrangement for Any Sign
14. UrbanStems. All 12 Zodiac Flowers and Their Meanings
15. Rosaholics. Flowers by zodiac sign: combination for your sign
16. Lam, T. Birth Flower Tattoo Ideas for Every Zodiac Sign (designs by Vanessa Dong). Hypebae, 2018