The flowers in the emblems of English-speackeng countries

I. Introduction…II. Main Part… 1. Gardening in Britain… 4 2. The National emblems of Britain… 6 3. The National emblem of Canada… 11 4. The National emblems of The USA….12 5. The National emblems of Australia… III. Conclusion IV. Sources I. Introduction Plants are a major group of living things including

familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, and ferns. About 350,000 species of plants have been estimated to exist. Since 2004, some 287,655 species have been identified, of which 258,650 are flowering. Aristotle divided all living things between plants, which generally do not move or have sensory organs, and animals. In Linnaeus' system, these became the

Kingdoms Vegetabilia (later Plantae) and Animalia. Since then, it has become clear that the Plantae as originally defined included several unrelated groups, and the fungi and several groups of algae were removed to new kingdoms. However, these are still often considered plants in many contexts. I think that the theme of this paper sounds interesting because flowers are characteristic features

of the English-speaking countries. The topic help us to study the English culture and history. Such a study enables us to gain enough experience in understanding of the British, American, Canadian and Australian realia and the English language of today. In this paper the problem under consideration is presented to the following manner. It opens with the description of the British way of life and their national hobby – gardening.

Then we make an attempt to analyze the facts of the usage of flowers in the symbols and emblems of English-speaking countries and its influence on the development of the English language. II. Main Part 1. Gardening in Britain The humid and mild climate of Great Britain is good for plants and flowers. Some of them have become symbols in the UK. You probably know that the poppy is the symbol of peace,

the red rose is the national emblem of England, and the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival. The daffodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales; the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of Ireland. The UK was originally a land of vast forests, mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch in the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of

moors. In the course of time, much forest land was cleared and almost all the Lowlands outside the industrial areas were put under cultivation. Today only about 6 percent of the total land area remains wooded. Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in southeastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are among the most common trees in

England, while Scotland has much pine and birch. The Highlands, with thin soil, are largely moorland with heather and grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of Britain there are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses. Much leisure is spent in individualistic pursuits, of which the most popular is gardening. Most English people love gardens, their own above all, and this is probably one reason why so many

people prefer to live in houses rather than flats. Particularly in suburbian areas it is possible to pass row after row of ordinary small houses, each one with its neatly-kept patch of grass surrounded by a great variety of flowers and shrubs. Many people who have no gardens of their own have patches of land or “allotments” in specially reserved areas – though a group of allotment gardens, with its mixed-up collection of sheds for keeping the tools

and the dull arrangement of the rectangular sections of land, is usually not a thing of beauty. Although the task of keeping a garden is so essentially individual, for many people gardening is the foundation of social and competitive relationships. Flower-shows and vegetable-shows, with prizes for the best exhibits, are immensely popular, and to many gardeners the process of growing the plants seems more important than the merely aesthetic pleasure

of looking at the flowers or the prospect of eating the vegetables. In many places a competitive gardener’s ambition is to grow the biggest cabbages or leeks or carrots, and the plain fact that the merits of most vegetables on the table are the inverse ratio to their size seems often to be forgotten. Love to horticulture has brought about such phenomena even as garden city, garden suburb and garden village. Garden city is a town laid out with carefully planned parks, gardens

and open spaces, and surrounded by a green belt, near to an industrial city. The first such town was built (1903) at Letchworth, Hertfordshire, north of London. Many new towns are garden cities. Garden suburb is the suburb of a town or city laid out on the same lines as a garden city. For example, Hampstead Garden Suburb. Garden village is a new village laid out on the same lines as

a garden city. Chelsea flower show is the highlight of Britain’s gardening year. It is held in London every May in the grounds of Chelsea Hospital. It is the most famous flower show in the world. 2. The National Emblems of Britain 2.1. The Rose The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as

England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1450-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose). The Yorkist regime ended with the defeat of King Richard III by the future Henry VII at Bosworth on 22

August 1485, and the two roses were united into the Tudor rose (a red rose with a white centre) by Henry VII when he married Elizabeth of York. 2.2. The Thistle The thistle is a wild plant with prickly leaves and yellow, white, or esp. purple flowers. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. This is how, according to a curious legend, that homely

plant came to be chosen as a badge, in preference to any other. In very ancient times the Norsemen once landed somewhere on the east coast of Scotland, with the intention of plundering and setting in the country. The Scots assembled with their arms and took their stations behind the river Tay, the largest in Scotland, at the only practicably ford.

As they arrived late in the day, weary and tired after a long march, they pitched their camp and rested, not expecting the enemy before the next day. The Norsemen, however, were near; noticing that no guards or sentinels protected the camp, they crossed the river Tay, intending to take the Scots by surprise and slaughter them in their sleep. To this end, they took off their shoes so as to make the least noise possible.

But one of the Norsemen stepped on a thistle. The sudden and sharp pain he felt caused him to shriek. The alarm was given in the Scots’ camp. The Norsemen were put to flight, and as an acknowledgement for the timely and unexpected help from the thistle, the Scots took it as their national emblem. 2.3. Order of the Thistle Also in Scotland exists order of the Thistle.

It is the highest order of knighthood, together with the Order of the Garter. It was founded in 1687, and is mainly given to Scottish noblemen (limited to 16 in number). A Knight of the Order places the initials «KT» after his name (full title, «The Most Ancient and Most Noble of the Thistle»). 2.4.

The Leek St David is the patron saint of Wales. He was a monk who lived on bread, water, herbs and leeks and died on March 1, 589 AD. The leek became the national emblem for Wales and medieval soldiers used to wear leeks as they road to battle. Leek is a vegetable related to the onion but with wider green leaves above a long white bulb. Nowadays Welshmen all over the world on March, 1 celebrate

St David’s Day by wearing either leeks or daffodils. The link between the leek and St David is the belief that he is supposed to have lived for several years on bread and wild leeks. There is a conclusive evidence that Welshmen wore leeks on St David’s Day in Shakespeare’s time. In “Henry Y” Fluellen tells the King: “If your Majesty is remembered of it, the

Welshmen did good service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps; which, your Majesty knows, to this hour is an honourable pledge of service; and I do believe your Majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon Saint Tavy’s day!” The daffodil is also associated with St David’s Day, due to the belief that it flowers on that day.

It became an alternative to the Leek as a Welsh emblem in the present century, because some thought the leek vulgar. Daffodil is a very common bell-shaped pale yellow flower of early spring. There is a very well-known poem by William Wordsworth which British people often quote when talking about daffodil. It begins: I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils. 2.5. The Shamrock What the red rose is to Englishmen and the leek and daffodil to the Welsh, the little shamrock is to the Irish, and no Irishman worth his salt fails to wear this national emblem on St Patrick’s Day, March 17. It is worn in memory of

Ireland’s patron saint, whose cross is embodied in the Union Jack by the thin red one under the cross of St George. A popular notion is that when preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish St Patrick used the shamrock, a small white clover bearing three leaves on the stem as an illustration of the mystery. Shortly after the formation of the

Irish Guards in 1902 the custom of presenting the national emblem to the new regiment on St Patrick’s Day began. An equally tenacious observance on St Patrick’s Day is wetting the Shamrock, the convivial aspect of Irish loyalty to their patron saint. 2.6. Britannia Britannia is a personification of Great Britain on coins in the form of a seated woman holding a trident

in one hand and an olive branch in the other hand and wearing a helmet. 2.7. Lion and the Unicorn Lion and the Unicorn is a heraldic sign of the British crown. The lion, the «king of beasts», is thought of as brave and frightening, and has been used as a symbol of national strength and of the British monarchy for many centuries. It is also used to represent Britain. People sometimes also mention the idea from the

Bible that one day the lion will lie down with the lamb that is there will be peace and happiness. The unicorn is a mythical animal that looks like a horse with a long straight horn growing from its forehead. It has appeared on the Scottish and British royal coat of arms for many centuries, and is a symbol of purity. The lion and the unicorn are the main characters of the famous nursery rhyme: The lion and the Unicorn Were fighting for the Crown;

The Lion beat the Unicorn All round about the town. Some gave them white bread And some gave them brown; Some gave them plum-cake, And sent them out of town. 2.8. Canterbury bell (Campanula medium) Canterbury bell is a plant with blue, violet or white bell-shaped flowers, and said to be so named since the flowers look like the bells on the horses of pilgrims

riding to Canterbury, or else the metal badges, called St. Thomas Bells, sold to these pilgrims. 2.9. “Mayflower” The Mayflower is the name of the ship that took a group of English settlers from Plymouth to America in 1620. Many of the settlers were religious and they are usually called the

Pilgrim Fathers. In the US people respect a person whose family “come over on the “Mayflower”, but since very few people can claim this, it is not unusual for people to make jokes about it. 3. Canada 3.1. A symbol of Canadian identity The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965, with Governor General Georges Vanier,

Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, the members of the Cabinet and thousands of Canadians in attendance. The Canadian Red Ensign, bearing the Union Jack and the shield of the royal arms of Canada, was lowered and then, on the stroke of noon, our new maple leaf flag was raised. The crowd sang the national anthem O Canada followed by the royal anthem

God Save the Queen. The following words, spoken on that momentous day by the Honourable Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, added further symbolic meaning to our flag: "The flag is the symbol of the nation's unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion." 3.2. Canadian Flag of Montreal The Flag of Montreal has several floral emblems.

Many Canadian flags and coat of arms have floral emblems on them. The Flag of Montreal has four floral emblems. On the right side of the Flag of Saskatchewan overlapping both green and gold halves is the western red lily, the provincial floral emblem. The Coat of Arms of Port Coquitlam has the City's floral emblem, the azalea displayed on a collar.

The Coat of Arms of Prince Edward Island displays Lady's Slippers, the floral emblem of the Island. The Coat of Arms of Nova Scotia has the trailing arbutus or mayflower, the floral emblem of Nova Scotia, added when the arms were reassumed in 1929. 4.The USA 4.1. The great seal of the U.S. On July 4, 1776, the

Continental Congress appointed a committee consisting of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson «to bring in a device for a seal of the United States of America». After many delays, a verbal description of a design was finally approved by Congress on June 20, 1782. The seal shows an American bald eagle with a ribbon in its mouth bearing the device E pluribus (One out of many). In its talons are the arrows of war and an olive branch of

peace. On the reverse side it shows an unfinished pyramid with an eye (the eye of Providence) above it. Every state in America has own state flower and state tree. 4.2. Florida Florida was named by Ponce de Leon in 1512 due to the fact that the whole region which he saw was covered with flowers. Florida nicknames are: «Land of flowers», «Orange state» and «Everglade state». State flower of Florida is orange blossom and state tree of

Florida are sabal palm and etto palm. In Florida you can eat grapefruit and granges right from the trees. A lot of vegetables and sugar cane are raised here. 4.3. Maine Four-fifth of Maine is covered by forests that feed its wood-processing industry. Hence its nickname the “Pine-Tree State”. Today great trees became the booms and masts of England’s sailing ships. State flower is white pine cone and tassel and state tree is white pine.

4.4. Nevada Nevada nickname is sage brush state. Nevada was the last of the American states to be explored. The land seemed nothing but desert wilderness, discouraging to the homesteader. Only sagebrush grew in the valleys, and for the cattle there was only bunch grass to feed on. 4.5. Texas Perhaps inspired by the National Garland of Flowers of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in

Chicago, Texas began the work of naming an official state flower in 1901. Historical records note three serious contenders for the position. The open cotton boll was promoted by Legislator Phil Clement of Mills, Texas. Cotton was king in Texas in 1901 and he referred to his nomination as the "white rose of commerce." Though cotton was big business, the cotton boll as state flower didn't

receive big support in the Legislature. State Representative John Nance Garner of Uvalde would become Vice-President of the United States under Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932. But in 1901, he was promoting the flower of the prickly pear cactus as the best choice for the title of official state flower of Texas. He praised the hardy durability of the cactus and the "orchid-

like" beauty of its flowers. John Nance Garner's nomination did not win the approval of the Texas Legislature, but his enthusiasm for the plant earned him the nickname of "Cactus Jack" which stayed with him his entire life. John Green, of Cuero suggested the bluebonnet. His nomination was clarified by a group of Texas women. The chapter of the National Society of the

Colonial Dames of America in Texas suggested that the bluebonnet would represent the State of Texas most appropriately as its official state flower. To punctuate their suggestion, they acquired a bluebonnet painting by Miss Mode Walker of Austin and presented it to the Legislature. The bill designating the blue bonnet or buffalo clover (Lupinus subcarnosus) as the official

state flower of Texas was approved by the Regular Session of the Twenty-seventh Legislature, convened at the City of Austin and was signed by Governor Joseph D. Sayers on March 7, 1901. On this day, a seventy-year debate over which species should really be the state flower of Texas began. The debate centered on the species of bluebonnet chosen to represent the state.

The Legislators that approved Lupinus subcarnosus as the official flower were not aware that several varieties of Lupinus grew in the state. The variety adopted grows in the sandy, rolling hills of coastal and southern Texas. It was not as common as other varieties and some thought that its small, dainty blossoms were not the most attractive. The issue was debated for 70 years. Favorites emerged, among them the Lupinus texensis, common throughout central

Texas and producing big, bold deep blue blossoms in the spring. The Legislature took their time. When they finally did get around to addressing the issue in 1971, they amended the 1901 statute, on March 8, 1971, to include Lupinus texensis and, gun-shy, «any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded." Essentially, all bluebonnets found in Texas are now considered the official flower of the state.

Ostensibly, this would also include the pink and white varieties found in the state and under development. The bluebonnet is also known as buffalo clover, wolf flower and el conejo (Spanish for "the rabbit"). 4.6. South Carolina The palmetto grows abundantly in South Carolina, especially along the coast, and is pictured on her coat of arms; as a result it has given state tree is palmetto. State flower of South

Carolina is yellow Jessamine. 4.7. The California Poppy The golden poppy, white poppy, and Mariposa lily were nominated as California’s state flower early in the century. The golden, or California, poppy won by a landslide and became the Golden State’s official flower on March 2, 1903. Early sailors are said to have nicknamed

California La Tierra del Fuego, or “Land of Fire,” for the rolling foothills carpeted with poppies. At that time, the golden poppy — it’s most popular name — grew throughout California, but hardly anywhere else. Native Americans living in the Northern Sacramento Valley boiled and ate the feathery foliage. In Southern California, Spanish Californians and Indians made a hair dressing out of golden poppy oil.

It is said that, during the Gold Rush, Indians believed the metal prospectors searched for was fallen poppy petals. California poppy blossoms are two- to three-inch cups of gold, bronze, scarlet, terra cotta, rose or white. They bloom on plants with silvery green foliage, about a foot high and usually broader than they are tall. The California poppy is a perennial and is one of the earliest wild flowers to grow in gardens. But it is most beautiful when setting

California’s rolling hills ablaze. 4.8. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is a wooded land with very fertile soil. The vegetation of Pennsylvania is very varied. But mountain laurel form 1/2 all plants. That’s why mountain laurel is a state flower of Pennsylvania. 4.9. Georgia Georgia is the third largest producer of cotton goods in the

U.S. Now Georgia’s farmers grow a variety of crops that includes pecans, watermelons and peanuts. More peanuts are grown in Georgia than in any other state. Also Georgia is glorified Cherokee rose. That’s why state flower of Georgia is a Cherokee rose. 4.10. Missouri Defined by the nation’s two greatest rivers, the Missouri landscape rolls from plain in the east and north into the low

Ozark Mountain Range in the south, home to a fascinating hill culture that is rich in handmade crafts and traditional music. And culture isn’t limited to the hills. In Missouri grow enormous amount of the hawthorn. The Local inhabitants consider this plant advisable. So the flower of Missouri is hawthorn. . 4.11. Illinois

Nearly 2500 plants grow wild in Illinois, and the springtime blossoms can be found on river and stream banks, in forests, and on the plains. The most beautiful flower in Illinois is a violet. That’s why State flower of Illinois is a violet. 4.12. Indiana Indiana is unbelievably beautiful state. State flower of Indiana is peony. This flower personifies the beauty of this state 4.13.

Louisiana Thomas Jefferson struck quite a bargain when he purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon for 15 million dollars in 1803. The Magnolia was approved the official flower of Louisiana by Thomas Jefferson. The Blazon with Magnolia already in three days appeared on main building of the state. Presently, this blazon weighs in capital of state “Baton

Rouge”. Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. The natural range of Magnolia species is rather scattered. It includes eastern North America, Central America and the West Indies and east and Southeast Asia. Some species are found in South America.

Today many species of Magnolia and an ever increasing number of hybrids can also be found as ornamental trees in large parts of North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The genus is named after Pierre Magnol, a botanist from Montpellier in France. See Origin of the name Magnolia. Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage

pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Fossilised specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating back to 95 million years ago. Another primitive aspect of Magnolias is their lack of distinct sepals or petals.

The term tepal has been coined to refer to the intermediate element that Magnolia has instead. Magnolias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Giant Leopard Moth. 4.14. Maryland The state Maryland is named in honour of Henrietta Maria (queen of Charles I of England). Black-eyed flower is the most loved flower of

Henrietta Maria. That’s why the black-eyed flower is state flower of Maryland. 4.15. Vermont The state flower of Vermont is primal veris or cowslip. Primula veris (Cowslip) is a flowering plant in the genus Primula, native throughout most of temperate Europe and Asia although absent from more northerly areas including northern

Scotland. It is a low growing herbaceous perennial plant with a rosette of leaves 5-15 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The deep yellow flowers are produced in the spring between April and May; they are in clusters of 10-30 together on a single stem 5-20 cm tall, each flower 9-15 mm broad.