Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees

by Johanna Lehner and Ernst Lehner

Book Overview

Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants & Trees by Ernst & Johanna Lehner explores the cultural significance and legends surrounding much of the natural world. Ernst Lehner (b. 1896, d. 1971) and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486429784
• ISBN13: 9780486429786
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.2" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

some light info

I liked the variety of old ideas about plants, but was disappointed with my edition's images--they seemed to have been copied many times over and were of poor reproduction quality.

Folklore and Symbolism

This is a fun book which possesses interesting facts, but I wish it had been thicker and included more of the same. What it does do, though, is provide interesting facts regarding old superstions regarding plants along with information regarding things like which plants traditionally symbolize which months. One rather disappointing fact: some things which I knew on my own were not mentioned: for instance mandrake was in fact used as a fertility drug but it is also (in reality) an effective poison. (It has no real usefulness regarding fertility.) Opium was left out of the book entirely even though as far back as the Romans it was used as a pain killer; it was imported from India. Things like that were left out and that was what I found least satisfying about the book.

pretty good

I liked the references to old sources, the old and fanciful drawings, and the inclusion of mythical plants. Traditional medicinal and magical uses are mentioned as well. On the other hand, a sprinkling of punctuation and minor spelling errors made me wonder what else might not be quite right. For example, when they say Juno was associated with the moon, was that something I forgot about, something missed by everything else I've read about Greek and Roman mythology, something their source claimed erroneously, or their own mistake? Overall an interesting little book.

Great but limited

Excellent resource for information, but not complete. It has limited lists of flowers and their meaning, but gives a great history of where those things come from.

Folklore Galore! (for flowers, plants & trees)

Obviously much time and effort went into researching this book, Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees. Excellent line drawings and b/w illustrations used appropriately. Includes European and Asian sources of information and illustrations. Quotes and all illustrations are excerpted from early printed sources - some dating back to 13th century. Great layout design of text and illustrations. Text is concise yet informative on specific topics. An easy-to-use book!*Table of Contents: 1) Sacred plants (including trees of life & knowledge) and specific plants;2) Flower lore and legend (alphabetized by common flower & tree names)3) Strange and wondrous plants (ex: Apple of Sodom, Ice plant, and Tree of Sorrow)4) Flower Calendar - seasons, flowers of the month, both Chinese & Japanese flower calendars5) Language of Flowers - Sentiments and symbolismA good general background source book for those interested in folklore or historical "roots" of common and less common plants meanings. A basic source book for all who enjoy nature hikes and telling stories about plants along the way. Not only do readers learn more about their ancestors' views and beliefs of specific plants but also a new way of seeing the natural world around us.