Violet (Viola sp.)

Do you have a meaningful plant in your life? Perhaps it is the apple tree in the backyard of your childhood home, planted by a grandparent. Or it is the fiddle-leaf fig given to you by a close friend.

Plants enrich our lives in many ways and each one tells a story. The red rose is known to be the symbol of romance and the four-leaf clover is for good luck.

For the violet, its story and importance to the queer community can be traced back to Ancient Greece and the poet, Sappho (c. 600 BCE). From the island of Lesbos, Sappho was renowned for her romantic and erotic poetry, especially those depicting homoerotic desire for women. From her name originates the terms ‘Sapphic’ and ‘Lesbian’, describing female homosexuality.

Sappho composed over 10,000 lines of lyrics, once housed in the Library of Alexandria, but much of her work was lost through natural deterioration and poor preservation. It is believed that preservers actively neglected and destroyed her work. In 1711, a translator censored Sappho’s poem, “Ode to Aphrodite” by changing the subject of her desire to a man. During the Middle Ages, Christian figures condemned Sappho and ordered her remaining poetry to be burned due to misogynistic and homophobic views of her work. Interest in her life and poetry has resurged over the past century. Unfortunately, people have only uncovered about 650 remaining lines of poetry. “The Ode to Aphrodite” is the only complete poem. Sappho appreciated the wonders and beauty of nature. You can read the many botanical references painted throughout her work. In a poem about women wearing garlands, communing in a pasture and other places, Sappho writes:

“Many crowns of violets, roses and crocuses…together you set before more and many scented wreaths made from blossoms around your soft throat…with pure, sweet oil…you anointed me, and on a soft, gentle bed…you quenched your desire…no holy site…we left uncovered, no grove…”

Violets as a symbol of sapphic love have appeared in many modern works. The 1927 Broadway play, “The Captive” by Édouard Bourdet follows two lesbian characters. As a romantic gesture, one sends a bouquet of violets to the other. This play led to such public uproar that protestors and police shut down the final performance in France. Soon after, the violet was associated with lesbianism and referred to as “the Lesbian flower”. Florists in the United States experienced a crash in violet sales during this time, but supporters of the play would wear violets pinned to their lapels.

Resistance and resilience in the queer community is an ongoing tale, from times before Sappho to new legacies in the making. Like the Greek poet, queer folks still face suppression and exclusion for telling their stories. The world of science and botany is no exception. There is much to explore in the intertwined history of plants and people, particularly those people who have been marginalized.

To learn more about other plants with significance in the LGBTQ+ community as well as LGBTQ+ symbolism in general, visit:

• Four Flowering Plants That Have Been Decidedly Queered by Sarah Prager
• LGBT Symbols Meaning: Labrys, Double Moon, Biangles by Erika W. Smith
• How lavender became a symbol of LGBTQ resistance by Christobel Hastings, CNN