In the language of flowers, green carnations traditionally symbolize financial wealth and prosperity. In the 1800s, green carnations also took on meaning as a representative flower of the LGBTQ community.  Green carnations first became a symbol of queerness when they were popularized by the popular writer Oscar Wilde. The writer started a trend of wearing green carnation boutonnieres as a way for gay men in his social circles to subtly signal their interest to other gay men.  The green carnation took on special significance to the Decadent literary movement since the unnatural green color of the bloom was seen as a sign of decadence that mirrored the writers themselves.