Offering a new insight into the evolution of the Language of Flowers, Rachel Henry's book contains meanings given to 389 flowers in the 16th and 17th centuries together with additional nuances that were added to the messages by the coloured threads used to tie the bouquets.

The heyday of the Language of Flowers was in the 19th century. But, as Rachel Henry's discovery of five long-forgotten books published between 1558 and 1671 shows, it was being used centuries earlier by the French upper classes to send loving, critical and even raunchy messages.

As well as the lists of meanings, The Language of Flowers 1550-1680 investigates the predominant Victorian theory about the origin of floral dictionaries, looks at contemporary arguments for and against, and puts forward some new suggestions as to how the Language of Flowers evolved.

Additional details are given for individual plants, including current scientific names, descriptions, folklore and history.

This is the first book in a series about the Language of Flowers.