The Facebook flower came and went. Here's what it really meant.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock with no mobile reception, you would have noticed that Facebook has been changing things up of late.

Just over a month ago the social media giant introduced the use of “reactions”, ending the long and unchallenged reign of the like button.

Current reactions include: like, love, laughter, shock, sadness and fury.

And on Sunday, millions of Facebook users were left scratching their heads and being like, “wait, what?” when their reaction options also suddenly included a purple petaled flower.

Unfortunately, the reaction wasn’t marking the return to a more lax social community that aims to hark back to the flower power era, but simply a way of digitally wishing your mum a Happy Mother’s Day.

Because nothing says thanks for gifting me life and ensuring I always wore my shirt the right way round quite like the push of a Facebook button….

Minimum child effort, maximum mum rage.

Want to know how to see what your friends are liking? Post continues after video…

According to the Silicon Valley based team, the emoji was added only temporarily (and has since disappeared again), and was one of the first trial temporary introductions.

“We are testing the ability for people in a few markets to leave a flower reaction,” Facebook said in a statement following its introduction.

It’s believed that Facebook are planning to introduce more temporary reactions in the future.

Personally, we’re hoping for a pair of argyle dress socks for Father’s Day, an array of gift options for Christmas, and a tidal wave to represent four years of our tears to come when Donald Trump is finally elected in November.

It’s not yet known how successful the temporary introduction was, but that could be because mum’s receiving the “digital gift” have since silenced their children through death.