Secrets of the wild orange Persian buttercup, also known as ranunculus.
The fiery shade of this glorious ranunculus blew me away when I first grew them in a large pot in our sunny courtyard. It looks like flames leaping from an eternally burning log, forever fuelling an inner fire that perpetually reinvents itself whilst slowly opening its heart, petal by petal, to reveal closely held secrets.
It seems incongruous that the Latin meaning of the word ranunculus is tadpole, or little frog, referring to the wet habitat of the wild ranunculus found growing in Persia in the 17th century. I prefer the lovely story of the endless energy and enthusiasm for life of the youth named Ranunculus who wandered through the woods singing to his heart’s content in a beautiful clear voice. He couldn’t seem to stop singing, and the wood nymphs were concerned that his singing was disturbing the peace, so they turned him into a buttercup and sent him out to the meadows! Although the modern cultivar of the bright orange Persian buttercup, Ranunculus asiaticus, doesn’t sing, it does thrive in full sun out in the open, just like the young hero in the tale.
The radiant array of colours of the Persian ranunculus made them popular among gardeners and flower lovers when they were imported into England in the 18th century. Gardens became popular at that time and their owners competed for the best and brightest blooms. Like the enchanted gardeners, the colour also attracts beetles to assist pollination. The bright tangerine petals and brown centres of the orange ranunculus are like a beacon to certain beetles, signifying a place to find a mate. Male beetles can be found on the petals fighting over a desired female, and the victor seen successfully joining with his partner in this paradise. During these rituals, the hairs on the legs and underbody of the beetle capture pollen from the anthers in the centre of the flower, and, on their subsequent travels, transport it to another bloom to complete the fertilization process for the plant as well. Nature is amazing: two for the price of one!
It’s intriguing how colours can link seemingly disparate things. The vibrance exuding from this glowing orange bloom is a mirror of the colour of the second Chakra, or ‘wheel’, of energy in the lower abdomen in the human body. It’s the centre of our emotions, sensuality, creativity and enthusiasm for life. Perhaps the beetles got wind of this in their concurrent evolution with the orange Persian buttercup, and certainly within the strictures of Victorian England, colourful ranunculus flowers were given to an admired one to convey all manner of romantic sentiments: You are close to my heart; You are radiant with charms; Attractiveness; A romantic rendezvous! And young Ranunculus was very creative and enthusiastic about life.
However, the essence of the flower in this artwork is beautifully symbolised in an alternative meaning attached to this bloom in the old language of flowers: ‘Meaningful secret’. It portrays a sense of being shrouded in some mystery that is yet to fully unfold, a secret meaning that ultimately lies in the heart of each viewer.