National Flower of Belgium

The Common Red Poppy is the national flower of Belgium. Growing in fields and waste places, these beautiful flowers are mildly analgesic and sedative, and have long been used in European herbal medicine, particularly for ailments in children and the elderly. Used chiefly as a mild pain reliever and as a treatment for irritable coughs, Red Poppy also reduces nervous over activity.

Australia National Flower : Wattle

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is Australia’s national flower. The Golden Wattle blooms in spring, - beginning September - in Australia, with large fluffy, yellow, sweet smelling flower heads. Each Golden Wattle flower head is a bunch of many tiny flowers. Acacias are popularly called Wattle.

The tiny Golden Wattle flowers have five very small petals, almost hidden by the long stamens, and are arranged in dense rounded or elongated clusters. The Golden Wattle flowers are yellow in most species, whitish in some, and are widely cultivated as ornamentals.

Autralia’s Acacias vary in size but have a distinctive yellow colouring. Most of the species flower during the end of winter or the beginning of spring. The most common Acacia, the Golden Wattle (Arcacias pycnantha) is found in the South Eastern parts of Australia, and the hotter and drier climates.

The Golden Wattle tree, is a shrub of about 4-8 metres. The shrubs and trees genus, Acacia comes from the Pea Family (Fabaceae) and is originally Gondwanian. About 1300 species of Acacia abound worldwide, with about 950 of them being native to Australia. The Golden Wattle features prominently on the Australian coat of arms. Australia celebrates Wattle Day on September 1.

National Flower of United States of America

The rose was designated the official flower and floral emblem of the United States of America in 1986. The rose has been around for about 35 million years and grows naturally throughout North America. The petals and rose hips are edible and have been used in medicines since ancient times.

Rose hips (the fruit of the rose which forms at base of the flower) are a nutritional treasure chest - rich in vitamins (C, E, and K), pectin, beta-carotene, and bio-flavinoids. These elements produce a strong antioxidant effect which protects and enhances the immune system. Rose hips improve blood cholesterol and pressure, digestive efficiency, and weight management (and are also a special winter treat for birds and wild animals).

Roses are red, pink, white, or yellow and can have a wonderfully rich, almost intoxicating aroma. The rose is a symbol of love and beauty (as well as war and politics) the world over. Each of the 50 states has also adopted an official state flower (see state flowers list), including the rose in New York, the Oklahoma rose in Oklahoma, Cherokee rose in Georgia, and the wild prairie rose in Iowa and North Dakota).

The term rose is applied to numerous shrubs and vines in the genus Rosa. They come in a variety of colors, have a fragrant scent and thorns on their stems. The rose has been favored by many everywhere. The edible petals have been added to salads and used in medicines since the times of antiquity. It was sacred to Aphrodite. It is the national flower of the United States. It is the official flower of New York State. The wild rose is the Iowa State flower and the prairie rose the state flower of North Dakota. The American Beauty is the flower of the District of Columbia. The rose is also the emblem of England. Two of the most famous roses are the white rose that served as the emblem for the house of York and the red rose for the house of Lancaster in the Wars of the Roses. Americans have always loved the flowers with which God decorates our land. More often than any other flower, we hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity. For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose.

We see proofs of this everywhere. The study of fossils reveals that the rose has existed in America for age upon age. We have always cultivated roses in our gardens. Our first President, George Washington, bred roses, and a variety he named after his mother is still grown today. The White House itself boasts a beautiful Rose Garden. We grow roses in all our fifty States. We find roses throughout our art, music, and literature. We decorate our celebrations and parades with roses. Most of all, we present roses to those we love, and we lavish them on our altars, our civil shrines, and the final resting places of our honored dead.

The American people have long held a special place in their hearts for roses. Let us continue to cherish them, to honor the love and devotion they represent, and to bestow them on all we love just as God has bestowed them on us.

National Flower of Japan

Japan has no official national flower. Most people, however, consider the cherry blossom the unofficial national flower of Japan. Furthermore, the chrysanthemum is the symbol for Japan’s emperor.

The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan’s unofficial national flower. It has been celebrated for many centuries and holds a very prominent position in Japanese culture. It has come to symbolize the country itself. Their exquisite beauty and their brief flowering at the peak of spring have come to symbolize the nature of human life.

There are many dozens of different cherry tree varieties in Japan, most of which bloom for just a couple of days in spring. The Japanese celebrate that time of the year with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the blooming trees.

The flower of November is chrysanthemum. The name comes from the Greek chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower).  Chrysanthemums had been cultivated in Chinese gardens for more than 2,500 years before being exhibited in England in the late 18th century. Chrysanthemums were considered the flower of the Chinese noble class, and lower classes were not allowed to have them in their gardens.

The Chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan. Feng Shui enthusiasts believe the chrysanthemum brings laughter and happiness to your home, while in some parts of Asia chrysanthemum flowers are boiled to make chrysanthemum tea which is believed to help recover from influenza.

National Flower of China

With 5000 years of history , it is difficult for China to chose just one National Flower or a single representative from among the range of beautiful blooms that show up throughout traditional art and culture. The biggest competitors for the title are, Plum Blossom (Prunus Mei) and Tree Peony (Mudan).
So now China has dual national flowers, Plum Blossoms as an emblem while Tree Peony as National Favorite. The final decision for the National Flower of China is expected by the impending 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The plum blossom, prunus mei, was officially designated by the Executive Yuan of the Central Government to be the national flower on July 21, 1964. The plum blossom, which produces shades of pink and white and gives off a delicate fragrance, has great symbolic value for the Chinese people because of its resilence in harsh winter weather. The triple grouping of stamens (one long and two short) represents Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People, while the five petals symbolize the five branches of the ROC government.

A plum blossom, as you might imagine, is the blossom of a plum tree. When the term “plum blossom” is used, however, most people use it to refer to a specific variety of plum native to Asia and known as the ume plum. Ume flowers have special significance in Asian culture, especially in China and Japan, where they are prized for their beauty and delicacy. Numerous works of Asian art depict plum blossoms, ranging from silk paintings to poems.
The ume plum or Prunus ume is actually more like an apricot than a plum, producing orange fruit with a deep groove. Ume fruits are used extensively in Asian cuisine, in both fresh and pickled form. When pickled, the fruits are known as umeboshi. Plums are also pressed to make wines and vinegars. Many traditional Chinese and Japanese gardens feature at least one ume tree, often with a carefully chosen location for good luck.

The plum blossom is a distinctive and unique flower because it blooms in the dead of winter, while there is still snow on the branches of the parent tree. The flowers emerge before the leaves, and they are pale white with oval-shaped petals. Many people cut sprays of plum blossoms to use as cut flowers in the home and as decorations around the lunar new year, an important holiday in Asian culture. Plum blossoms also appear as decorative motifs in traditional garments such as kimonos, and they often appear in jewelry, executed in precious metals, ivory, wood, and various gems.

National Flower of France

The iris is a very distinctive flower with an unusual shape and is typically associated with spring. But did you know these fascinating facts about the iris? The name iris means rainbow in Greek. It’s quite an apt name, as irises come in all sorts of colours, such as blue, purple, white, yellow, lilac and even brown. The iris belongs to the Iridaceae family. Another member of this family of plants is the gorgeously scented freesia. There’s a vast array of different types of irises and they thrive in different climates, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, America and North Africa.Irises grow well in a variety of different places, including in deserts, by the banks of streams, in gardens, meadows and on grassy slopes. The iris grows from a bulb. They’re hidden away during the colder months, then suddenly re-appear when it’s warmer. Irises have been popular throughout history and were often used as a source of inspiration for some of the world’s great painters, like Vincent Van Gogh. Irises are typically associated with spring, but nowadays they’re generally available all year round. The iris flower has a very distinct shape, which makes it easy to distinguish. Three large petals fold back from the stem and form the three points of a triangle. In the centre, three smaller petals stand up. This shape is used as the fleur-de-lys symbol.

The iris is the state flower of Tennessee. It’s also the national emblem of France. If you rub together the leaves of the Gladwyn or Stinking iris (Iris foetidissima), they emit an unpleasant smell! Irises are relatively easy to grow, even for the most inexperienced of gardeners. The Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana) is commonly found growing wild along the coasts of California and southern Oregon. Iris Florentina is native to the south of Europe. It is white or pale blue flowers known as the Yellow Flag or Yellow Iris, Iris pseudacorus can commonly be found growing along riverbanks, in marshes or even ditches in Britain.

National Flower of Egypt

Egypt is known as the starting place of the ancient civilizations. “A water lily” has been Egypt’s national flower for about 4000 years. It can be seen anywhere on the river Nile, especially the “blue water lily”. The blue water lily has been loved by Egyptians for a long time. It was also considered the “God of the Resurrection”, so it is sometimes laid on the tomb of “Mica”. A few pieces of blue and white water lily flower picture have been found in the tomb of Rames II (ca. B.C. 13th century). Most of the Arab countries have followed

Ancient Egypt was perhaps the first country to recognize national plants and flowers. Specifically, these were the Lotus and Papyrus, symbolizing Upper and Lower Egypt, respectively. And now the pure white Egyptian Lotus Flower, the only plant to fruit and flower simultaneously is the national flower of Egypt. It is also referred to as the Water Lily, an aquatic flower.

National Flower of Germany

The Centaureas are some of the most graceful flowers to grow in any garden. The flower heads are like showy, ragged thistle blooms of bright red, deep purple, golden yellow and blue. They grow from 2 feet to 3 1/2 feet tall and bloom during the Summer months. The Golden Knapweed (Ceataurea macrocephala) is perhaps the showiest of all because the thistle-like, golden yellow flower heads are very large. The plant itself is an erect and somewhat spindly grower and the stems are stiff.

Lesser knapweed grows in grassland where its reddish-purple thistle-like flowers appear from July to September. This regal meadow plant also makes an attractive addition to the summer border, providing late summer nectar for many species of bees and butterflies. In some areas of the countryside a staggering 25 or more insect species benefit from this plant, including the rose chafers, one of our most beautiful insects, a striking green scarab beetle and the tortoise beetle larvae (which feeds on the leaves). By leaving the seed heads uncut at the end of summer you will also provide a tasty food supply for finches.

Spotted knapweed generally is a short-lived perennial, reproducing solely by seeds. Seeds are brownish, less than 1/4 inch long, notched on one side of the base, with a short tuft of bristles at the tip. The seeds may germinate from spring through early fall. Seedlings emerging in the fall often overwinter as a rosette of leaves, resuming growth again in the spring. The plant grows 2 to 4 feet tall and bears alternate, pale green leaves which are 1 to 3 inches long. Leaf margins of the lower leaves are divided and smooth while the surface of the leaf is rough. The upper leaves are linear in shape. Stems are erect and rough, with slender branches. Numerous flowers are produced from early July through August. Flowers are pink to light purple and are borne on tips of terminal or axillary stems . The flower petals are surrounded by stiff, black-tipped bracts, giving the flower head a spotted appearance .Spotted knapweed can be distinguished most easily from Russian knapweed (a long-lived perennial of the same genus) on the basis of floral characteristics. Russian knapweed flowers are smaller than those of spotted knapweed and do not have black mottling on the flower bracts.

National flower of Hong Kong

Bauhinia blakeana, a native species discovered in Hong Kong, is the floral emblem of Hong Kong. It was chosen as “City Flower” by the Urban Council in 1965 and became the floral emblem of the Urban Council and Hong Kong. It was later incorporated in the flag and emblem of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from United Kingdom to China.

Growing 20 to 40 feet in height, Hong Kong Orchid-Tree creates a rounded, spreading canopy composed of large, six to eight-inch-diameter, gray/green leaves. Since young trees can be irregularly shaped, pruning during the first several years after propagation is often needed to develop a more uniform crown. It is the beautiful display of orchid-like blooms, though, which make Hong Kong Orchid-Tree so desirable for the landscape, the large, six-inch blossoms appearing in multiple shades of purple, rose, and pink during the summer, fall and early winter months, when little color is usually present in the garden. These flowers are sterile and will not set seed so the plant will not drop long pods as other Orchid-Trees do, and they will not become a pest in the landscape. This is often the Orchid-Tree of choice for planting in urban landscapes.

The Bauhinia double-lobed leaf is similar in shape to a heart, or a butterfly. A typical leaf is 7-10 cm long and 10-13 cm broad, with a deep cleft dividing the apex. Local people call the leaf chungmingyip and regard it as a symbol of cleverness. Some people use the leaves to make bookmarks in the hope that it will assist them to study well.

It is usually sterile (does not produce seed), suggesting a hybrid origin, probably between Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea, though this is still a matter of debate. Propagation is by cuttings and air-layering, and the tree prefers a sheltered sunny position with good soil.

National Flower of Netherlands / Holland

The Tulip, one of the most accurate and beautiful signs of the arrival of Spring, is the national flower of the Netherlands. Though these flowers are coveted world wide for their eloquent beauty, one of the more unique and delightful features of these Dutch ladies is that they keep growing after they are cut - growing up to 5-6 inches more while in the vase! When placed near a window, they will turn themselves towards the sun, opening more when it is warm and closing when the temperature drops.
The tulip remains the most popular and recognizable bulb flower. Most people think of the tulip when they think of bulb flowers. The tulip is followed in popularity by the daffodil, the gladiolus, the lily and the crocus.

The tulip, has been the cause of a major financial crisis in the Netherlands only a few decades after it was introduced in our regions at the end of the 16th century. It originally came from eastern Mediterranean regions, which at that time — a very prosperous time in The Netherlands — were the source of many exotic products. For the rich and the famous the tulip was a status symbol. The popularity of the tulip soared and soon the demand skyrocketed. In 1636, people started using the tulip to speculate with, indebting themselves to buy the bulbs at very high prices and selling them for even higher ones. Prices went as high as the prices of big houses along the canals in Amsterdam. Nowadays one floor in such a house already costs more than one million guilders.

Sometime in the year 1637, a Dutch farmer was in the market for a tulip. Upon finding a bloemist who carried the specific variety of flower that he desired, the farmer entered into negotiations with the flower-seller. When an agreement had been reached, the farmer acquired his flower-bulb. The purchase price that the farmer apparently deemed reasonable for a single tulip-bulb of the Viceroy variety included “two [loads] of wheat and four of rye, four fat oxen, eight pigs, a dozen sheep, two oxheads of wine, four tons of butter, a thousand pounds of cheese, a bed, some clothing and a silver beaker.” Such a high price, estimated at approximately 2,500 guilders, for a single tulip was not unusual. During the height of the Dutch ‘tulip mania’ in the seventeenth century, a Semper Augustus, considered to be even more precious than the Viceroy tulip, could bring in close to 6,000 guilders.

In fact, tulip prices and the practice of tulip speculation became so excessive and frenzied that in 1637 the States of Holland passed a statute curbing such extremes. The reversal of their fortune was reached on February 3rd 1637, when for the first time, a collection of very exclusive tulips remained unsold. Other cases followed and the speculative bubble was quickly pierced.

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