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made-up flower language for teyvat

…okay well some of these might be canonical, but anyway basically i grew up Incredibly Enamored with flowers, and so flower language/plant symbolism in general was (and still is!!) some­thing that i love to play with in fics. as such, i was bored at work one day, so i made up a bunch of mean­ings for flowers (and honestly a number of other non-floral ascension materials) in teyvat, though it's not actually exhaustive at the moment.

if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop it in the askbox!! :YunJinWink:

(also, these images are hotlinked from the genshin wiki rather than hosted here as per usual, so if they break, blame the wiki people!!)

((also also, i tried my best to give mobile users rights, but it probably looks pretty squished from a phone!! so viewing either rotated to the side or from a desktop is recommended as always.))

object location in-game desc / use assigned meaning(s)
the wilds

sweet flower 		every­where but dragon­spine & en­ka­no­miya
  • "parti­cularly fra­grant flo­wers. they can be found easily, even in the dark. just follow the scent."
  • used in cook­ing, makes sugar.
  • asso­ci­ated with: suc­rose
  • shy affe­c­tions

matsu­take 		every­where ex­cept sumeru
  • "A rare fun­gus that gen­er­al­ly grows on or near pine trees. Its deli­cate aro­ma gives away its lo­ca­tion."
  • edible, some­times drop­ped from bush­es
:(

mint 		every­where, as it is "a very hardy plant."
  • "A re­fre­sh­­ingly cool ­ingre­dient. The cool, fresh flavor can cut through the heat of many dishes."
  • used in cook­ing
  • men­tioned in "mo­dest for­tune" texts (inazuma)
  • resil­ience

pine­cone 		most com­mon in mond
  • "Filled with oil-rich seeds. Cer­tain­ly won't be grow­ing into a tree from in­side a squir­rel's sto­mach."
  • used in hash browns n sautéed matsutake
  • mentioned in mo­dest for­tune (inazuma)
  • pati­ence
  • long­evity

berry 		every­where in clus­ters of three
    "Small, bri­ghtly-col­or­ed fruit. They can be found every­where, and the taste of them wipes the fati­gue of a long jour­ney away."
  • "br­ing­ing com­fort of relief [after a str­ess­ful event]"
  • trios / little friend groups
  • child­hood fri­ends?

snap­dragon 		every­where there's water "can be eat­en once cooked. as a spice, it can br­ing won­der­ful flavor to dish­es."
  • pro­b­ably a "fuck you" plant! :ChildeHehe:
  • asso­ci­ated with spunk, pep­py energy, and / or para­dox­ical appear­ance (bc the spicy plant by the cool / mild water)

mist flower cor­olla 		wild, usually near water
  • "A flower bud en­cased in solid ice. Even after being pick­ed, the flower con­ti­nues to emit cold."
  • alle­gedly has trap­ped small crea­tures in its ice
  • used to lure in slimes w/ele­men­tal bait
  • potion usage
  • medi­cinal?
  • mis­for­tune slips
  • unap­pro­a­ch­able
  • cool, clear judge­ment
  • loss of smth trea­sured

flaming flower stamen 		wild
  • "The sta­men of a fier­cely burn­ing flo­wer. Even after being extin­gui­shed, it still emits heat."
  • accor­ding to le­gend, can be­come whop­per­flo­wers w/eno­ugh ele­men­tal energy
  • used in great fort­unes
  • cer­tain­ty of pas­sion
  • cer­tain­ty in gen­eral
  • ~* fated meet­ings *~
mondstadt

calla lily 		near water in mond, esp. in spring­vale
  • "A flower that grows near water sour­ces. When cooked, the pet­als have a chunky tex­ture, yet are sweet and a lit­tle bitter."
  • lit. "mur­mur­ing / toot-toot lotus" in cn
  • medi­cin­al; cures coughs + calming
  • most hate the taste
  • asso­ci­ated with: diona, kaeya
  • "you soothe my
    anx­iety"
  • "you're over­think­ing this"
  • "i'll think about it (prob­ably no)"

cecilia 		star­snatch cliff
  • "A beau­tiful flo­wer with a name that suits its ap­pear­ance. It only grows where harsh winds blow, and is just as in­tan­gi­ble as the true heart of an un­bo­und soul."
  • "The Ceci­lia flower is said to rep­re­sent a once-way­ward heart trans­for­med by the power of love."
  • asso­ci­ated with: venti, albedo
  • "the pro­di­gal son re­turns home": uncon­di­tion­al accept­ance and love of some­one who was gone (n fuck­ing up mis­er­ably the en­tire time)
  • overall, lone­li­ness, un­con­di­tion­al love, and resi­li­ence

dan­de­lion 		city gates, star­snatch cliff, n the bor­der to liyue
  • "A tiny seed that rides on the wind. Even with­out its fea­ther­ed wings, it still holds the hope from afar with­in."
  • used in wine
  • also sends mes­sag­es on the wind
  • asso­ci­ated with: jean, eula, vannessa
can­on­ic­ally: hope;
rom­an­tic spi­rit of love and free­dom

phil­anemo mush­room 		old build­ings, occa­sion­ally trees
  • "A fun­gus that grows in the warm car­ess of the wind. It is as ever­last­ing as the wind, nour­ish­ing life."
  • technically edible!
  • asso­ci­ated with: mona, bar­ba­ra
  • warm feelings
  • bud­ding fri­end­ship or par­en­tal love
  • long­evity, sta­bility

small lamp grass 		mostly in the whis­per­ing woods
  • "A wild grass that emits light at night. Used in cook­ing to en­ha­nce other fla­vors."
  • rus­tles soft­ly when ap­proa­ched
  • glow blue at night
  • used as a gar­nish / spice for its sub­tlety
  • deli­cate, light, n of­ten over­looked
  • asso­cia­ted with: fischl, amber, diluc
  • sub­tlety
  • deli­cacy
  • po­ten­ti­ally even neg­li­gen­ce or invi­si­bili­ty
  • per­haps also gui­d­ance?

valberry 		storm­bearer moun­tains in clus­ters of four
  • "A plump and trans­lu­cent berry that has a frag­rant smell and a sweet, refre­sh­ing taste. In the past, the storm wat­chers' only sol­ace was the sweet­ness of this fruit and hope for the city's peace."
  • asso­ia­ted with: lisa, noelle, rosaria
  • pro­te­ction
  • iso­la­tion
  • shape might also be evo­ca­tive of a heart

wolf­hook 		wol­ven­dom
  • "A berry with thorns that often gets atta­ched to a wolf's pelt. When you look at it, you can almost hear the echo­ing cries of the wolves in the woods."
  • medi­cinal proper­ties, but only if pre­pared cor­rectly
  • asso­cia­ted with: razor, mika
  • "earnest efforts (gone wrong?)
  • familial bonds

wind­wheel aster 		storm­terror's lair; wind­rise
  • "A plant that adores the wind. To the proud child­ren of the wind, or the citizens of Mond­stadt, the Wind­wheel Asters are 'the visi­ble winds.'"
  • spin gently in the wind~
  • asso­cia­ted with: bennett, sucrose, traveler
  • pros­per­ity (mond only)
  • peace­time
liyue

bamboo shoot 		qingce village
  • "A fresh young bam­boo shoot, stra­ight out of the ground. It is a deli­cious cook­ing ingre­dient with an exo­tic aroma, found ex­clu­sively in bam­boo-grow­ing regions."
  • edible!
  • unlimited potential

cor lapis 		under liyue cliffs, esp mt. hulao + chasm
  • "A prec­ious cry­stal of con­den­sed pure Geo elem­ent that usu­ally grows along with other min­er­als. It's also com­monly called 'Cor Petrae.'"
  • cn more directly translated would be "stone amber"
  • asso­cia­ted with: zhongli, chongyun, keqing
  • substance (as in having substance to back up a claim)?
  • wisdom

glaze lily 		harbor, qingce
  • "An extr­emely anci­ent flo­wer that was said to be com­monly seen in Li­yue. It trans­forms the mem­ories of the land into its frag­rance during flor­escence."
  • bloom w/music
  • used to be every­where, but on the decline
  • also only bloom at night
  • refined beauty / grace
  • lesbianism
  • elegance + refinement
  • shyness

horsetail 		dihua marsh
  • "a purple plant that some­times grows amidst silver­grass but grows taller, stra­ighter, and plu­mper — like an ari­to­crat among the pau­pers."
  • edible
  • medicinal
  • makes ink water-resistant
  • pride, class
  • a rare, high quality thing amidst the commons

jueyun chili 		minlin, qingce, & stone gate in clus­ters of three
  • "a spicy plant native to liyue. merely smell­ing it makes one hot and thirsty."
  • asso­cia­ted with: xiangling, yaoyao
  • power­ful bonds of friend­ship (make up fake leg­end insp. by liyue kids?)
  • vigor / vitality
  • pain
  • inspi­ra­tion?

lotus head 		luhua pool + stone gate
    "An aquatic plant native to Liyue that grows and blooms in pairs. One is frag­rant, and the other bitter. It's said to make a good herbal medicine."
 :(

nocti­lucous jade 		caves, esp. in ming­yun
  • "A rare mineral that glim­mers in the dark. It's said to be a mutated gem­stone condensed from the flour­ishing elements of the world."
  • asso­cia­ted with: yanfei, beidou
  • insight

qingxin 		high alti­tudes in patches of 1-3
  • "A trans­lu­cent white flower that only grows on the high­est stone peaks. It eschews the warmth and mois­ture of the plains to gaze out afar from the soli­tary moun­tain­tops."
  • medicinal: breaks fevers + relieves fatigue
  • edible, but bitter
  • associated with: ganyu, xiao, shenhe
  • loneliness
  • good inten­tions
  • cn liter­al mean­ing of "pure heart"
  • intro­ver­sion
  • reti­cence
  • reluc­tance

silk flower 		wangshu inn, feiyun com­mer­ce guild; on bushes in pairs
  • "a crimson flower that blooms like the rain­nbow clouds in li­yue. it can be made into silky-smooth fabric."
  • edible, appar­ently smooth n sweet
  • turned into silk, ofc
  • smells nice, com­mon in perfumes
  • used in elaborate court­ship rituals
  • asso­cia­ted with: hu tao, xingqiu
  • luxury
  • secret romance / feelings
  • coyness
  • marriage

starconch 		yao­guang shoal
  • "empty seashells brought ashore by the tides. hold it close to your ear, and hear the longing calls of the sea."
  • conch houses echo the sea of souls.
  • asso­cia­ated with: childe, yelan
  • yearning
  • echoing / remaining feelings
  • loss
  • death + regret

violet­grass 		cliffs, esp jue­yun karst & chasm
  • "a small flower with strong vita­lity. it is said that its down­ward-blo­oming flower keeps its frag­rance from dis­sipating."
  • medicinal value
  • edible as a spice
  • associated with: qiqi, xinyan
  • vigor
  • vitality
  • shelter
inazuma

ama­kumo fruit 		seirai island, grow in twins from a single stem
  • "the fruits of the ama­kumo grass, which grows on sei­rai island. you can hear it crack­ling with a tiny cur­rent if you hold it up to your ear."
  • born when oro­ba­shi was slain / thunder­bird did the thing
  • associated with: raiden, kirara
  • twins
  • kinship
  • defiance
  • revenge?

crys­tal mar­row 		orobashi's bones on yashi­ori n tartar­asuna
  • "a crystal that contains a sliver of tatari­gami power. adding this mat­erial during smelt­ing and tough­ness of metals."
  • basically has the power of dead gods!
  • used to make delusions
  • associated with: sayu, aloy
  • force of will

dendro­bium 		near battle­fields
  • "A vibrant plant that has also been named the "lycoris" by the poets. It was once thought extinct in the Ina­zu­man archi­pe­lago, only to re-emerge now upon the battle­fields. It is said that it blooms most encha­nt­ingly where much blood was spilled."
  • left on the graves of warriors
  • associated with: kujou sara
  • regrets
  • death of a fighter
  • sacrifice
  • valor

fluor­escent fun­gus 		tree roots on tsurumi, usually in pairs or groups
  • "A mush­room that glows like a night-light. Some curious power lies hidden within it."
  • can help light the way through the tsurumi fog
  • edible and tasty
  • associated with: thoma
  • devotion
  • guidance
  • enlight­enment

lav­en­der mel­on 		trees in inazuma
  • "A brightly-colored fruit. The flesh within trans­forms into food with a unique mouth­feel when cooked."
  • used as purple dye / paint
  • edible, but akin to egg­plant
  • mentioned in rising fortunes
  • consistency
  • honesty
  • humility
  • sweetness

naku weed 		areas of high electro concen­tration
  • "Even on wind­less days, this plant will tremble lightly amid the cries of thunder. The part of it that resem­bles petals are in fact exten­sions of the leaves meant to protect the fragile flower."
  • used in meteor­ology
  • allgedly stolen from shogun's gardens by bake-danuki to plant around the nation
  • medicinal: juices reduce wound inflam­mation
  • associated with: yoimiya, kuki shinobu
  • good fortune
  • protection

sakura bloom 		naru­kami island
  • "Blossoms from the Sacred Sakura at the Grand Naru­kami Shrine, filled with a fond­ness for Inazuma."
  • require electro to pick up
  • edible!
  • associated with: ayaka, ayato, makoto
  • trans­ience
  • grace
  • dreams

sango pearl 		by the water in wata­tsumi and enka­nomiya
  • "A precious pearl that grows in the coral of Wata­tsumi. Gives off a cool sheen like that of the moon­light."
  • allegedly the blood of omikami (aka orobashi), who died for wata­tsumi's people.
  • its shine led the people above­ground
  • associated with: kokomi, gorou
  • purity
  • guidance

sea gano­derma 		beaches + tidal flats of ina­zuma & GAA
  • "A plant species that only grows in certain regions and islands of the ocean. Though it looks like a fungus of some sort, it actually comes from a sub­stance secreted by certain soft-bodied organ­isms."
  • trans­formed souls of child­ren who died young, and as punish­ment, they have to. absorb the elements and get harvested.
  • miko once fed some to ganyu
  • called "grass of eternal youth" and "mush­room of immor­tality"
  • associated with: kazuha, yae miko
  • hardship
  • resilience
  • growth, as in like character growth, or becoming stronger

sea­grass 		shallow waters in ina­zuma
  • "a plant that grows in shallow seas. it adds a unique flavor to dishes.
  • bitter
  • gentle, yet tena­cious
  • stead­fast­ness

oni­ka­bu­to 		mikage furnace; mt. yougou
  • "A strange beetle that inhabits areas rich with Electro energy. Its docile and sedentary temper­ament could not be more different from the fierce, demonic visage displayed on its armored shell."
  • children will battle their beetles
  • associated with: itto, heizou
  • childish­ness
  • deception
Sumeru

ajile­nakh nut 		sumeru desert
  • "A fruit that grows on ever­green trees within desert oases. The flesh under the tough skin is thick, sweet, and delicious, making it an impor­tant food source amongst the desert peoples."
  • sometimes found in tumble­weeds
  • sweet: used in cooking
  • associated with: nahida (special dish), scarlet king
  • parental affections
  • hidden treasure

harra fruit 		the wilds of sumeru in pairs
  • "Growing in the hot humid rainforest, it is a fruit with a special spicy aroma. When ground to powder, spices can be made from it. It is the most valued spice plant in Sumeru."
  • makes "spice"
  • legends claim it takes great effort to harvest (this is done for capi­talism reasons)
  • variety (lol)
  • adventure

henna berry 		on cacti in great red sand
  • "A fruit that grows even in the most hostile of desert environ­ments. Its vibrant crimson fruits are made even more lovely against a backdrop of yellow sand."
  • used as pigment
  • name oft translated to mean desire or yearning
  • symbolic of desert people / eremites
  • associated with: candace, faruzan
  • longing desire
  • deep-heart love

kalpa­lata lotus 		sumeru forest cliffsides
  • "Flowers from vines that grow on cliff sides. It is called a lotus only because it has a similar appear­ance to one. Aside from that, it bears no other similar pro­per­ties to the lotus."
  • according to legend, were the first plant ever created in the forest
  • legend says that the roots of all plants, including the divine tree, are connected through them
  • usually grow in pairs, but sometimes singly or triply
  • used in the nameless taboo medicine of the royal court from the caribert quest
  • associated with: dori, nahida
  • connection
  • preca­rious situ­ations
  • wisdom
  • a wish granted

mour­ning flower 		girdle of sands (asipat­tra­vana swamp)
  • "Crimson flowers that bloom on ancient battle­fields. They can even flourish in the depths of the desert. Their drooping flowers seem to be in mourning for heroes long past."
  • according to legend, watered with the blood of warriors who died during the cata­clysm
  • associated with: kaveh
  • martyr­dom
  • cruelty of fate
  • self-sacrifice for the sake of a greater vision or ideal
  • grief & mourning

nilot­pala lotus 		lakes and river banks
  • "Growing in the forest wet­lands, these plants only bloom at night with flowers as bright as the moon."
  • according to legend, these flowers continue to serve their master from the ancient times, the moon goddess after her death.
  • like glaze lilies, will bloom at night
  • used in the dendro cookie resonance stone
  • associated with: tighnari, layla
  • the moon
  • the romance of stars
  • mystery
  • fidelity

padi­sarah 		pardis dhyai, palace of alca­zar­za­ray, sumeru city, & vana­rana (real)
  • "A holy and noble plant. The condi­tions for growth in its envi­ron­ment are very dema­nding. The flower buds can be pro­cessed to make valu­able spices."
  • turn into viparyas in the dream version of vanarana
  • like glaze lilies, require v strict conditions to grow
  • edible
  • associated with: goddess of flowers, nilou
  • romance
  • beauty
  • grace
  • nobility
  • sanctity

rukkha­shava mush­room 		ashavan realm & loka­pala jungle
  • "A fungus that grows in layers upon layers, like a sea of clouds, and which mostly grows on trees deep in the rain­forest. There­fore, they are consi­dered by the people of Sumeru to be the holy crystal­liza­tion of Rukkha­devata's legacy."
  • edible
  • became shrouded in mystery after sumeru aq finale, as they were symbolic of rukkha­devata's sacrifice
  • rebirth
  • new beginnings
  • a past left behind or forgotten

sand grease pupa 		desert of hadra­maveth
  • "You can only find such husks deep in the desert where the Quick­sand Eels breed. The hard­ened shell is meant to protect the Quick­sand Eels' larval bodies until they finally accli­mate to the con­di­tions of the dry desert."
  • accor­ding to legend, quick­sand eels descend from a giant serpent that once devoured the sun.
  • used in tradi­tional medicine
  • may be related to wenut
  • associated with: alhaitham, dehya
  • prote­ction
  • shelter

scarab 		great red sand + mauso­leum of king deshret
  • "A tena­cious beetle that finds repose within the vast ocean of desert sand. The golden pattern on such beetles' shells hints at some deep rela­tion­ship between them and the ancient ruins that dot the desert."
  • according to legend, contain the souls of the vanquished, which then become defenders of the desert king's lands.
  • technically also count as wildlife
  • associated with: cyno
  • justice
  • oath
  • hard-earned loyalty

sumeru rose 		sumeru forest
  • "Bright and beau­tiful, these pure purple flowers give off a pleasant frag­rance that will give any passerby pause. While some like to call this type of "rambler rose," its relative lack of multiple flowers means that it falls under a different floral classi­fication."
  • edible
  • alchemical
  • used in perfumes
  • common in festivals, literature
  • sensitive to ley line flow
  • festival joy
  • invitation
  • carefree nature
  • goodwill
  • romantic love

trishiraite 		girdle of the sands
  • "A splen­dorous stone that can be found in the depths of desolate moun­tains, seem­ingly formed from con­gealed elemental energy."
  • an ore
  • according to legend, its color reflects the flame of the cata­clysm in khaen­ri'ah
  • doom
  • ardency

viparyas 		vana­rana (dream)
  • "A flower without seeds.
    Once the earth remem­bers, the Vipa­ryas will bloom."
  • gifted to aranara
  • "the forest will not forget" n stuff
  • innocence, perhaps even naïveté
  • the last remnants of a for­got­ten dream
  • sweet dreams

zaytun peach 		sumeru forests in groups of four
  • "The fruit of a forest shrub. Its flesh is firm and sweet. It is said to have a calming effect on the mind."
  • medicinal
  • used to be ornamental
  • sweet
  • :(

admittedly, a few of these feel a little… on the nose, i suppose, and obvs there are a couple missing bc i simply drew blanks <3 but if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop them in the askbox before you go!! :D

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