Kushiel's Heliotropes

I've been getting Dictionary.com's Word of the Day emails for a long time. Sometimes I read them; sometimes I don't. Today's word?...

Heliotrope

1. A light tint of purple; reddish lavender.
2. Any hairy plant belonging to the genus Heliotropium, of the borage family, as H. arborescens, cultivated for its small, fragrant purple flowers.
3. Any of various other plants, as the valerian or the winter heliotrope.
4. Any plant that turns toward the sun.

Now you probably know I'm a Jacqueline Carey nerd. In her books, Heliotrope is one of the 13 Houses of the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers. Adapts of the Night Court are Servants of Naamah, a goddess, and are known as the most skilled prostitutes in the land. Heliotrope's house canon is devotion and love; their motto, "Thou, and no other." Naturally, I wondered what their flower looked like. When I googled it, I found a marque (a tattoo given to adapts of the Night Court when once they've completed their service) of a Heliotrope flower, created by Elegaer. I wasn't too fond of it, but I found she'd created others. Most are brilliant, and I've posted a couple below.

First up is Gentian to the right, the house of dreams with the motto "Truth and vision". Their marque is said to include a full moon (the image to the right), although I like the crescent version better.








And next is Balm, with the motto "Rest and be soothed" and a canon of compassion. You can see the stem looks a bit like a healer's staff, with yellow vines reminiscent Asclepius' Rod.


If you're curious about the rest, check out Elagaer's website.