What’s with the five-petalled flower?

Yes, I have a bit of an obsession with five-petal flowers. It started with the kikyomon – the Japanese balloon flower crest, which I use as a signature and a logo for my Etsy shop. Certain five-petal flowers have meaning for me as well. I’ve resisted (until now) researching a more generalised symbolic meaning of a flower with five petals.

A quick scan of various websites and research reveals links between five petals and femininity, the pentagram and the five elements. Of course, there are specific symbolic meanings for particular flower species and there are umpteen paths to follow when you are looking at the number 5. There are also links to pursue in relation to Fibonacci, the Golden Mean, geomancy and Feng shui. Botanical/scientific research and analysis provides insight into the differences between flowers with different numbers of petals.

For the moment though, five petals are asymmetrical, enough said!

The thumbnails in the image above are from various sketches and designs over time.

Day 993/8 🌸

 

 

Published by

Deidhre Wauchop

I'm an explorer - of the visual world and the intersections between visual arts, dance and technology. 'Life obliges me to do something, so I paint.' Rene Magritte

One thought on “What’s with the five-petalled flower?”

Leave a comment