As winter deepens, Open Sea is dreaming of flowers. These magical structures predate humans—the earliest known flowers in the fossil record are 180 million years old, existing alongside the dinosaurs. Although some flowers are capable of self-pollination, most have developed symbiotic relationships with pollinators such as insects, birds, and mammals. That these organisms have evolved alongside one another for millions of years means that often flowers and their pollinators are inextricably linked, a specialized bond that reaches across the kingdoms of life. From this union has arisen a myriad of spectacular expressions of beauty in both flower and pollinator alike, as if a living lock and key.

Humans have held a constant obsession with flowers, associating specific species with spiritual and cultural significance in a practice broadly known as floriography. The sacred lotus produces a flower that is capable of regulating its internal temperature (perhaps as a means of attracting insect pollinators), and produces seeds that remain viable for centuries. Because of this, the flower has come to represent longevity, rebirth, and enlightenment. Water lilies appear often in ancient Mayan art. These aquatic plants grow rooted in the soil, but with leaves and flowers floating on the surface of the water, representing the tether that life and fertility has with the watery underworld. 

Perhaps no culture was as infatuated with communication via flowers as the Victorians. In an era steeped in romanticism and symbolism, flowers provided a deep well of hidden meaning and communication. Victorians developed a complex Language of Flowers to send coded messages and convey hidden desires (or lack thereof). In this spirit, Open Sea is proud to introduce our first in an ongoing Floriography series, featuring original compositions printed on elegant oval greeting cards.

AMETHYST

 REASON - INNOVATION - LUCIDITY