September Birth Flowers: Aster and Morning Glory

The traditional September birth flowers are the aster and the morning glory. Learn where these beautiful blooms get their names and interesting symbolism about each.

Flowers are fascinating because they contain many layers of meaning that people have ascribed to them over thousands of years. There is a whole sub-category of etiquette surrounding which flowers are appropriate to give at what times, and to whom. The unending rules surrounding something as simple as a flower can be dizzying. Another aspect of flower lore concerns the designated flowers for each month of the year.

Aster Flower History And Lore

The aster is a daisy-like flower featuring a dense center surrounded by small petals (pictured above). Native to Europe and Asia, these hardy flowers are frost resistant, and many species bloom in the fall. Aster flowers come in a range of colors, most prominently purples, pinks, blues, and white. They are a close relative of chrysanthemums, another fall flower.

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Aster flowers get their name from the Latin astrum, which means “star,” due to their star-like shape. Asters are a popular garden flower because of their bright, cheerful appearance, the ease with which they can be grown (they can grow in all hardiness zones), and their late bloom time, which makes them a good complement to early risers. Asters are also great for attracting butterflies.

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According to ancient lore, burning aster leaves was once believed to drive away snakes. Among the meanings and traits ascribed to them are patience, daintiness, faith, wisdom, and valor.

Another September Birth Flower: The Morning Glory

The name “morning glory” can refer to any of more than 1,000 species of viny, herbaceous plants that produce bright, trumpet-shaped flowers. Morning glory flowers range in color from white through pink to deep purple, with purples and blues among the most commonly grown varieties.

Cultivated morning glories are most often annuals, but are popular garden flowers because they spread easily, are tolerant of poor soil, and like to climb. Each flower lasts only a single day, blooming near dawn and withering by day’s end, to be replaced by a new flower the next day.

The stems of some varieties of morning glories were traditionally eaten in Asia, and the flowers can be used to make a mildly hallucinogenic alcoholic beverage. In ancient China, the seeds were used as an herbal laxative. The plant was also used in Mesopotamia to harden rubber, millennia before Charles Goodyear invented the process of vulcanization.

According to the Victorian language of flowers, morning glories symbolize love in vain. They also represent daintiness, due to their delicate appearance and short lifespan.

Don’t Forget The Forget-Me-Not!

The forget-me-not is also recognized by some as a September birth flower. Forget-me-nots symbolize love and remembrance.

Learn more about forget-me-not folklore

Join The Discussion

Were you born in September?

Which September birth flower is your favorite: the aster flower or the morning glory flower?

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