Description

The silphium plant was highly prized in ancient times and was depicted on coins from the city of Cyrene (now in modern-day Libya) as having a heart-shaped seed head. The heart shape symbolized the plant's use as a medicine for various heart-related ailments, as well as its importance as a symbol of love and fertility. In ancient Greece and Rome, the heart-shaped seed head of silphium was used as a symbol for the plant itself, and was often carved into jewelry and other decorative items as a symbol of good luck and prosperity.