Myrtle Myrtus Communis
A sprig of wonderfully fragrant myrtle (known as the "herb of love") -- with its star-like flowers, creamy-white petals, and dark green leaves.
In The UK
Following her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, Victoria planted the sprig of myrtle from her bouquet in her garden.
Since that time, all royal brides in Queen Victoria's family, including Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales, have carried a sprig cut from Victoria's myrtle tree to the altar on their wedding day.
In Wales, brides once gave a sprig of myrtle to each bridesmaid.
In Other Cultures
Although Agrippa ascribes it to the Moon, myrtle has long been associated with Venus and love magick.
Aphrodite is often shown wearing a myrtle-leaf wreath in her hair, and during the Roman festival of Venus Verticordia (Venus the Heart-Turner)
On April 1, women bathed in water scented with myrtle and wore myrtle wreaths (the picture below shows a gold myrtle wreath from the time of ancient Greece).
In Eastern Europe, the wreaths held over the heads of a couple being married were originally made of myrtle (now gold crowns are used instead),
In the Appalachian Mountains, throwing this magick herb into a fire was believed to make the face of one's future mate appear in the smoke.
In England, folk believed that myrtle wouldn't grow if it was not planted by a woman.
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