Feb 21, the flower of the day is the Veronica which symbolizes "fidelity".
"Is it all in that pretty little head of yours?
What goes on in that place in the dark?
Well I used to know a girl and I would have
sworn that her name was Veronica
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure if her
name is Veronica"
It's unlikely that Elvis Costello was warbling about Saint Veronica who gave Jesus her veil to wipe his forehead. Jesus accepted the offering and after using it handed it back to her, the image of his face miraculously impressed upon it. But it's apparently not so unlikely that the lady in question gave her name to the genus of over 500 species flowering herbs.
Rumor has it that the purplish blossoms of several Veronica species sport face-like markings, although nobody seems to specify exactly which species these are.
If this fact can be ratified, then props to the Victorian floriographers. For it would make it rather clever of them to have given the meaning of fidelity to Veronica: not because the saint in question was suitably saintly, but because that lesser-used meaning of fidelity (a reproduction of remarkable exactness) matches most neatly with both the legend of the imprinted cloth and the etymology of the word Veronica: a combination of vera (true) and icon (image).
Good for giving to: Travelers (the plant is also called 'speedwell' and 'gypsyweed') who need to stick to their course.
"While sunlight would cause others to fade:
Yet, though remorse, youth's white-faced seneschal,
Tread on my heels with all his retinue,
I am most glad I loved thee - think of all
The suns that go to make one speedwell blue!"
From 'Quia Multum Amavi' by Oscar Wilde
Veronica chamaedrys (Germander Speedwell) is a species of Veronica, native to Europe and northern Asia. A herbaceous perennial plant growing to 9 1/2 inches tall, with hairy stems and leaves, it normally is about half that size so it's not a very big flower. The flowers are blue, with a four-lobed corolla. The form of the leaves are like a White Deadnettle.