Floriography or the "Secret Language of Flowers" refers to a form of cryptological communication through the arrangement and use of flowers popularized during the Victorian era. Flowers have been attributed to conveying meaning and emotion throughout history and Floriography is some form has been practiced in many cultures, including: Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The popularization of Floriography is credited to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an English poet and Aristocrat. During a trip to Constantinople, with her husband (the English Ambassador to Turkey), she witnessed a popular pasttime "sélam." Whether intentionally or not, Lady Montagu misunderstood sélam, romanticizing it in her embassy letters as an elaborate coded floral language used by women to communicate with their secret lovers.