Chapter 14 - Plants

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CHERRY – 1. This sweet fruit symbolizes a person’s sweet character. Some commentators have called the cherry the fruit of Paradise. 2. In artwork, if the cherry is being held in the hands of Jesus, it symbolizes the joy of being blessed.

CHESTNUT – A chestnut is formed in a thorny, prickly shell. However, the chestnut is not harmed in any way by the thorns. The chestnut symbolizes chastity because a chaste person has resisted the worldly temptations of the flesh and has remained untouched by them.

CHRISTMAS ROSE – A white flower that blooms at Christmastime while withstanding the harsh winter conditions. 1. The Christmas rose symbolizes the Nativity of our Lord. 2. It symbolizes the Christmas holiday.

CHRISTMAS STALWORT – A symbol of the Nativity.

COCKLE (Weed) – The cockle symbolizes sin. The cockle flourishes in fields and gardens, intermingling with the good plants. It is very difficult to remove the cockle without damaging the good plants.

COLUMBINE – 1. Columbine symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The columbine’s delicate white petals have been compared to a white dove. This led to the naming of the plant based on the Latin word for dove, “columba.”

2. When columbine is portrayed with seven blooms on a single stock, it symbolizes the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Isaiah 11:2.

CYCLAMEN (Bleeding Nun) – The cyclamen is a flower with a red spot at its center. The flower symbolizes the Virgin Mary and her bleeding heart.

CYPRESS – When a cypress tree is cut down, it does not grow back from its roots. Based on this observation, the Greeks connected the cypress tree with death and the underworld. The early Christians took this symbol and used it on their tombs.

DANDELION – The dandelion is a bitter herb. This bitterness is symbolic of the crucifixion. In art, it can be found in paintings of the Virgin Mary with Child.

DOGWOOD – Legend tells us that the dogwood tree used to be large and mighty like the oak. Because of this, it was chosen to be the wood used for the cross. The dogwood was greatly saddened by this. As Jesus lay hanging on the cross, He sensed the dogwood’s displeasure being used in such a way. He promised the dogwood that the tree would cease to be mighty like the oak. From then on, it would be slender and bent. It’s petals would grow into the form of a cross, with two petals growing longer than the other two. On the outer edge of each petal would be the nail markings, stained in blood and rust. In the center of the flower,

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