Often called the poor man's rose, which undersells it. Lisianthus opens rose-like ruffles, lasts a fortnight, carries no scent, and is one of the few florist flowers that is safe to have around a cat.
Lisianthus is the flower florists reach for when a design needs the look of a rose without the weight of one. It has the ruffled, many-petalled head, the long clean stem and none of the scent, and it holds in a vase longer than almost anything else with soft petals. Here is what it means, what its colours say, how to keep it, and the practical things worth knowing before you send or buy it.
What lisianthus means
Lisianthus stands for appreciation, gratitude and an outgoing, charismatic nature. In the Victorian language of flowers it was read as a compliment to someone's character rather than a declaration of love: you gave it to say that you valued a person, not that you wanted them.
That reading has held. Today the flower is most often given as thanks, in congratulation, or to mark a bond that has lasted. It carries a note of quiet confidence, which is why it suits people who do not want a bouquet that shouts.
What the colours mean
- White: purity, sincerity and remembrance. The most common lisianthus in weddings, and a gentle choice for sympathy flowers.
- Pink: affection and gratitude. The everyday reading, and the colour most often sent as thanks.
- Purple: admiration and a touch of ceremony. The traditional colour of the wild prairie gentian.
- Blue: calm, trust and steadiness, and rare enough in flowers generally to feel deliberate.
- Green and cream: renewal and new beginnings, often used in modern bridal work.
- Bicolour and picotee, where the petal edge is inked in a second colour: no traditional meaning, but they read as the most romantic of the range.
Is lisianthus safe for cats and dogs?
Yes, as far as the evidence goes. Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) does not appear on the ASPCA's list of plants toxic to cats, dogs or horses, and it is one of the flowers commonly recommended for households with pets.
Two sensible caveats. No cut flower is food, and a cat that chews a quantity of any stem or leaf may get an upset stomach from the fibre alone. And the real danger in a vase is not lisianthus: it is lilies. Every part of a true lily, including the pollen and the water in the vase, can cause acute kidney failure in cats. If you have a cat, the useful rule is to refuse lilies outright and let lisianthus, roses, orchids and snapdragons do the work instead.
Single-petalled it reads like a tulip; doubled, like a rose.
Lisianthus against a rose
The nickname is the poor man's rose, which is unfair on both counts. It is cheaper, but it is not a substitute; it does a different job.
- Form. A double lisianthus has the same layered ruffle as a garden rose, but on a slimmer head and a much finer stem, so a bunch reads as light rather than dense.
- Movement. One lisianthus stem carries open blooms, half-opens and tight buds at once. A rose stem gives you one flower. That is why lisianthus makes an arrangement look like it is still growing.
- Scent. Lisianthus has none at all, which is a genuine advantage. It will not fight a scented rose, a hyacinth or a dinner table, and it suits guests who react to perfume.
- Life. Ten to fourteen days is normal, against seven or so for most roses. As the open blooms go over, the buds behind them take their place.
- No thorns, no guard petals. Nothing to strip, and none of the bruised outer leaves that make fresh roses look odd on arrival.
When lisianthus is in season in Australia
Lisianthus is a warm-weather flower. Australian field crops, grown mostly in Victoria and south-east Queensland, run from late spring through autumn, roughly November to April, with the best quality and the widest colour range across summer.
Because it is a commercial glasshouse crop as well, you can usually get it year-round, though winter stems are shorter and the colours narrow to white, pink and pale purple. If you want the deep purples, the picotees and the tall stems, ask in January or February.
How to make it last a fortnight
Lisianthus is not fussy, but it rewards a small amount of attention more visibly than most flowers, because the buds only open if the stem keeps drinking.
- Recut two centimetres off each stem on an angle before it goes in the vase, and take off every leaf that would sit below the waterline. The leaves are soft and foul the water quickly.
- Use a clean vase and change the water every two to three days, recutting the stems each time.
- The hollow stems are brittle at the joints. Handle them by the base rather than mid-stem.
- Pinch out a bloom once it has gone papery. It stops the stem spending energy on a finished flower and pushes the next bud along.
- Keep them out of direct sun and away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit releases ethylene, which will close the unopened buds for good.
Why weddings use so much of it
Lisianthus is one of the most-used flowers in Australian bridal work, for reasons that are entirely practical. It gives a rose-like head at a fraction of the cost, so it can carry volume in a bouquet or on a table without the budget going to roses alone. It has no scent, which matters in a marquee. The mix of buds and open blooms on one stem gives arrangements the loose, unforced look that formal roses cannot. And it survives a long day out of water better than almost any soft flower, which is the quality that really earns its place.
The same logic applies to any occasion where flowers need to hold: it travels well and it forgives a warm car. Our note on choosing flowers for the occasion goes further into matching the flower to the day.
Nineteen things worth knowing about lisianthus
- It was first described as Lisianthus, then reclassified into the genus Eustoma. Botanists use Eustoma; the flower trade never let go of Lisianthus, which is why both names are still in use.
- Eustoma comes from the Greek eu, meaning good or pleasing, and stoma, meaning mouth. The "beautiful mouth" is the flared throat of the bloom, which opens three to four inches across.
- The older name Lisianthus is usually traced to the Greek lysis (dissolving) and anthos (flower), from its use in medicine. The etymology is disputed, and you will see "bitter flower" given as the sense.
- It is a wildflower native to warm grassland in the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and northern South America.
- Japan is the reason it is in your bouquet. It was introduced there in the 1930s, and Japanese breeders turned a single-petalled prairie weed into the ruffled double varieties grown for the cut flower trade today.
- Growing wild on prairies gave it the name prairie gentian. It belongs to the gentian family, Gentianaceae, not the rose family.
- It establishes best in freshly turned soil, which on a prairie was churned up by grazing bison, cattle and horses.
- Its other names include Texas bluebell, seaside gentian, tulip gentian and Lira de San Pedro.
- Single-petalled varieties look like tulips or poppies. Double-petalled varieties look like roses or peonies, which is where the poor man's rose nickname came from.
- Eustoma is a small genus. Depending on which botanist you follow, there are two or three species in it.
- The foliage is distinctive: soft, waxy, blue-green leaves with an almost succulent look.
- Plants grow from about 15 to 60 centimetres, though commercial cut varieties are bred taller for stem length.
- Its natural colours are purple, pink, white and blue, plus cream, apricot and green from breeding. True red and yellow lisianthus do not really exist; if you see them, they are dyed.
- Picotee varieties, where a white petal is edged in purple or pink, are among the most sought-after and the most expensive.
- In the Victorian language of flowers it signified an outgoing personality and appreciation.
- Modern florists read it as gratitude, charisma and lasting connection, which is close to the Victorian meaning and unusual in that respect.
- It is often listed as a flower for Sagittarius, whose season runs from late November to late December.
- Gentians have a long history in herbal medicine, and extracts from the family have been studied for antimicrobial and antifungal activity. The bitterness that made them useful is also why lisianthus is sometimes called the bitter flower.
- For all that colour, it has no scent whatsoever, which makes it the ideal partner for strongly perfumed blooms.
Sending it
Lisianthus is a good flower to send when the message is thank you, or well done, or I have been thinking about you. It reads as considered rather than grand, it holds long enough to keep saying so for a fortnight, and it is safe in a house with a cat. You will find it through much of our bouquet range and across the wider fresh flower collection, worked in alongside roses and seasonal stems rather than standing alone. It is also a fitting choice of birthday flowers for a Sagittarius.
Lisianthus, given room to be the point.
The Lisbon Bouquet, from $97. Shop the Lisbon →
We deliver seven days across the east coast, including flower delivery in Melbourne, where most of the country's lisianthus is grown.
More in this series: ranunculus, delphinium and hydrangeas.
Frequently asked questions
What does lisianthus symbolise?
Appreciation, gratitude and an outgoing, charismatic nature. It is traditionally given as a compliment to someone's character rather than as a romantic gesture.
Is lisianthus toxic to cats?
Lisianthus is not listed as toxic to cats, dogs or horses by the ASPCA, and it is one of the flowers usually recommended for homes with pets. Any plant material can upset a stomach if a pet eats enough of it. The flower to genuinely avoid around cats is the lily, which can cause kidney failure.
What does white lisianthus mean?
Purity, sincerity and remembrance. It is the most common lisianthus in wedding work and a gentle choice for sympathy flowers.
How long does lisianthus last in a vase?
Ten to fourteen days is normal, longer than most roses. Recut the stems, strip the lower leaves and change the water every two to three days so the unopened buds keep coming through.
Why is lisianthus called the poor man's rose?
Because the double-petalled varieties look like ruffled garden roses at a lower cost. The nickname undersells it: lisianthus carries buds and open blooms on the same stem, has no scent and lasts longer.
Does lisianthus have a scent?
No. It has no fragrance at all, which makes it a good partner for strongly scented flowers and a good choice for people sensitive to perfume.
When is lisianthus in season in Australia?
Australian crops run from late spring through autumn, roughly November to April, with the best stems and the widest colour range over summer. Glasshouse growing makes it available year-round, though winter stems are shorter.
Is lisianthus the same as eustoma?
Yes. Eustoma is the botanical genus name and lisianthus is the older name the flower trade kept using. They refer to the same flower.
