What is the national flower of the UK?
The article brought by the editor is about the origin story of the national flower of the UK, the rose, and related topics about what the national flower of the UK is. Keep reading!
When it comes to national flowers, the commonly acknowledged national flower of China today should be the peony. The reason for this can be found in the famous line by the great Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi: "Only the peony has the true color of a nation, its blooming season shakes the capital city."
The choice of a national flower often reflects a country's history, spirit, culture, and emotions. The peony is graceful and fragrant, known as the "flower of wealth," and universally recognized as the "king of flowers."
Meanwhile, the peony symbolizes "national peace and security," "prosperity and strength," and "harmony and abundance," which aligns with the Chinese people's aspirations for a better life.
Rose?蔷薇? Or Chinese rose? It's hard to tell, and it's also related to a word
The word for the national flower of the UK is "Rose." Some might say, isn't that just the rose? But "Rose" can be translated as rose, as well as Chinese rose or even as Chinese quince!
The history of the UK's national flower can be traced back to the 15th century. Let's analyze it carefully:
Firstly, we can rule out Chinese quince, which is a native Chinese plant with a cultivation history of over two thousand years. It was not until the 1780s that Chinese quince was introduced to countries like the UK and France.
During the war between the UK and France, the two countries temporarily Ceased hostilities to ensure that Chinese quince could be safely delivered, and it was escorted by the British navy to Josephine, the wife of Napoleon in France. Considering the timing of the UK's national flower being confirmed, the option of Chinese quince can be ruled out.
Next is the most debated issue between roses and Chinese roses. If you search online now, many websites will confidently tell you that the UK's national flower is the rose.
However, for the rose in its current sense, it might have been an unremarkable flower in ancient Britain, almost like a weed. This is also related to the French queen Josephine mentioned earlier who received the Chinese quince.
After introducing Chinese quince, it was crossed with local Rosaceae plants, selectively bred, and eventually many graceful new hybrid varieties were developed—the rose in its current sense (modern hybrid quince).
This also solved the problem of the flower blooming only once a year, making rose cultivation popular worldwide.
In summary, although many sources translate it as rose, in ancient Europe, the flower of the Chinese rose was elegant and grand, playing a significant role and fitting the style of the royal family.
The UK's national flower "Rose" should refer to the Chinese rose, specifically the red Chinese rose Rosa gallica and white Chinese rose Rosa ×alba and their descendants. (This has also been confirmed by many historians).
Historical Origin
Based on the analysis above, historians have long discovered the error in Chinese translations. In many cases, Tudor rose should be translated as "Tudor Chinese rose," and the War of the Red and White Roses should also be translated as "War of the Red and White Chinese Roses."
However, this habit has formed over the years, and the translations of battles and dynasties will not be changed specifically when analyzing the history of the national flower.
In the 15th century, the region of England was ruled by two great dynasties: the Lancaster family and the York family.
These two families used the red Chinese rose Rosa gallica (now translated as red rose) and the white Chinese rose Rosa ×alba (now translated as white rose) as their symbols.
The two families fought for over 30 years to争夺 the right to succeed the throne. Since this war was marked by Chinese roses, it was called the "War of the Roses" (Red and White Rose War).
The national flower of the UK is a flower
Eventually, the Tudor victory from Lancaster established the Tudor Dynasty. The first king was Henry VII, who married Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth from the York family to calm the conflict between the two families.
Although it was a political marriage, the couple was happily married. When Elizabeth died in 1502, Henry fell seriously ill. He also lit 100 candles, rang bells, and sang requiems every February 11th on Elizabeth's birthday to commemorate her.
When Henry VII died in 1509 and was buried with Elizabeth, King Edward I of England had the rose cast on the royal crest.
Combining the red and white roses into one, the Tudor Chinese rose/Tudor rose became the crest of the Tudor Dynasty, a symbol of the Tudor royal family, representing nobility and eternity.
In the image below, the right side is the red Chinese rose of the York family, the middle is the Tudor rose (Rose of Tudor) combining red and white Chinese roses, and the right side is the white Chinese rose of the York family.
Thus, England moved from the end of the Middle Ages to a new era of the Renaissance. To commemorate this war and the dynasty, England made the Chinese rose the national flower and changed the royal crest to red and white Chinese roses.
以上 is the comprehensive explanation of the origin story of the UK's national flower, the rose, and what the national flower of the UK is, brought to you by Green Enthusiast Network, hoping it can help you.