November's birth flower is the chrysanthemum, with the peony as an alternate on one almanac's list; the chrysanthemum stands for loyalty and joy.
The chrysanthemum is November's flower on all three main sources: the Old Farmer's Almanac, Farmers' Almanac and the Society of American Florists. The Old Farmer's Almanac stops there, which makes November a single-flower month on its chart. Farmers' Almanac, after an August 2026 revision, added the peony as a secondary flower. The peony also appears in April on the florists' list, so it is the only flower on these charts that belongs to two months.
Chrysanthemum meanings depend on color more than on source. The Old Farmer's Almanac gives the flower loyalty, friendship and joy, but warns that yellow can signal a wounded heart or neglected love. Greenaway's 1884 book reads yellow as slighted love, white as truth and red as I love. The florists' guide has its own set, with yellow as a secret admirer. In Japan, the chrysanthemum is associated with funerals and is avoided for hospital visits.
Chrysanthemum is both the genus and the common name, and yellow is the color often shown. Farmers' Almanac lists loyalty, honesty and joy. For a birthday, red (I love, in Greenaway) or white (truth, in both Greenaway and the florists' guide) sends a clearer message than yellow. Bronze, according to the Society of American Florists, stands for excitement.
Peony, genus Paeonia, is November's alternate on the Farmers' Almanac list, where it stands for prosperity and a happy marriage. The source does not specify the herbaceous or the tree peony. Because chrysanthemums carry funeral associations in Japan, the peony gives November birthdays a second option, and its almanac meaning is one of the most cheerful on the whole chart.
In the United States, yes, and the Old Farmer's Almanac ties them to loyalty and joy. In Japan they are associated with funerals, so for Japanese friends the peony, Farmers' Almanac's November alternate, avoids that association.
The Old Farmer's Almanac lists just the chrysanthemum. Farmers' Almanac added the peony as a secondary flower in its 2026 revision, so newer charts based on it show two.
JanuaryCarnationSnowdrop
FebruaryVioletPrimrose
MarchDaffodilJonquil
AprilDaisySweet Pea
MayLily of the ValleyHawthorn
JuneRoseHoneysuckle
JulyLarkspurWater Lily
AugustGladiolusPoppy
SeptemberAsterMorning Glory
OctoberMarigoldCosmos
NovemberChrysanthemum
DecemberNarcissus (Paperwhite)HollyBirth flowers and flower meanings are cultural traditions. Month lists follow The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Farmers’ Almanac and the Society of American Florists; the daily calendar is from William Hone’s The Every-Day Book (1825).