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Orchids come in a variety of gorgeous colors, and each color has a different meaning. The orchid itself has significance and special meaning. These factors might influence how you arrange a bouquet or decide which orchids to gift.
What Do Orchids Symbolize?
Elegant and beautiful, orchids have a perfect symmetry that is characterized by geometric petals and root tubers which gave the orchid its name.
The Greek name for orchids is orkhis, and this references the shape of the orchid's tubers which resemble the shape of the male anatomy. This led the ancient Greeks to associate orchids with fertility. They went so far as to believe that the orchid's tubers could determine if an unborn child was a boy or a girl.
They also referenced the beauty and spiritual perfection of Victorian women where orchids were traditionally given as a symbol of love or affection. They also represented wealth as it was very expensive to ship orchids anywhere. In Europe, orchids were used in love potions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The Chinese believed that orchids were good luck and routinely featured them in their annual Spring Festival to ward off evil spirits. They also used them to represent a child's innocence and thoughtfulness. The Japanese considered orchids to be a symbol of power and wealth, and they were status symbols for the upper social classes.
Christians believed that orchids with spots represented the blood of Christ, and orchids are prominently featured around Easter time each year. Traditionally, orchids represent strength, peace, love, and elegance, and this trend continues today.
Orchid Color Meanings
Orchids come in a variety of beautiful colors and color combinations excluding true blue, and you can convey multiple meanings depending on which colors you include in an arrangement or in a bouquet.
Blue Orchids
There is no such thing as a true blue colored orchid. You may be able to find a blue-tinted orchid like Vanda coerulea or Thelymitra crinita, but they're more rare in the orchid world.
It makes sense that blue-tinted orchids represent rarity. They also symbolize calm, meditation, and spirituality.
Green Orchids
Green orchids like the beautiful Paph tonsum and Dendrobium epidendropsis range in shades of very light green with white to bright, electric green.
Traditionally, green orchids have been a symbol of good health, longevity, life, and nature. They're also said to represent a wish for good fortune for the recipient, as well as happy blessings for the future.
Orange Orchids
Orange orchids like Guarianthe aurantiaca or Dendrobium cuthbertsonii are very bright and eye-catching orchids that can come in dark orange up to a bright, light orange.
These orchids have been used for years to represent boldness, enthusiasm, and pride. It is the perfect color to give to anyone who is about to embark on a new journey or undertake something nerve-wracking.
Pink Orchids
Pink orchids like the stunning Rhynchostylis gigantea or the Phragmipedium kovachii come in soft blush pink with white streaks to vivid hot pink colors.
Pink orchids have traditionally represented femininity, grace, innocence, happiness, and joy. They're also the traditional flower people use to represent their fourteenth and twenty-eighth wedding anniversaries.
Purple Orchids
Purple has long been associated with royalty, and Orchis mascula or Dactylorhiza purpurella are perfect examples of the purple orchid color ranges. Whether you want royal, deep purple or lilac, they all have the same basic meanings.
Aside from royalty, purple orchids also represent respect, dignity, and admiration, and they're the perfect way to let someone know you respect them.
Red Orchids
When people think of love or passion, they usually think of red roses. However, this symbolism translates over to orchids as well, and Epidendrum secundum or Renanthera imschootiana are excellent examples of red orchids.
In addition to symbolizing passion and love, red orchids also symbolize wishes of strength and courage for the bouquet recipient.
White Orchids
Arguably one of the more popular orchid colors, white has a variety of meanings, and Lycaste skinneri or Dendrophylax lindenii are beautiful orchids that come predominantly in white.
White orchids represent beauty, elegance, and innocence, and they're perfect for a christening or a new baby's birth. Additionally, white orchids also symbolize humility and reverence.
Yellow Orchids
Bright, sunny yellow orchids like Cymbidium Yellow or yellow Dendrobium chantaboon can brighten up any room you place them in. Yellow orchids have long been associated with new beginnings and joy or happiness. They're also a symbol of friendship, and they can be perfect for congratulating a friend on an accomplishment or welcoming a new member into the family.
Orchids have been used for hundreds of years to convey different meanings depending on the time period and culture. Today, they're used in the same manner to covey many important meanings for the recipient. Now that you know what the various colors mean and a few orchids that come in said colors, you can make your own beautiful orchid arrangement or bouquet for a friend or family member.
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