What plants are associated with funerals and cemeteries?
A. Every culture has some tradition associating plants with the burial of their dead. Ours is no different. We have a rich history of plants around the tombstones of our dearly departed. Often these plants have features that lend themselves to concepts closely linked with our ideas of life and death. The most common examples of this are evergreens (yew, cedar, juniper, fir, yucca, pine, spruce, arborvitae, etc.), which symbolize eternal life. The symbolism of many of these plants can be ancient and is sometimes difficult to trace, being based in folklore or various religious texts. Guinness World Records lists burying our dead as the oldest form of religious activity. Burial sites from as far back as 64,000 years ago have been found that contain the remains of flowers. And not only do we grow or place plants with our dead, we adorn our grave markers with art depicting flowers and trees. One example is a tombstone in the shape of a leafless tree with a branch cut off; the lack of leaves
