Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 11.5
The rose is the
national flower in a number
of countries. (Photo credit:
Jaap van Tuyl)
and Croatia chose the iris, while Brazil favours orchid (Anon
2013a
,
http://www.
theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/national-flowers)
.
Usually the National
Flower reflects some association of each country with the species, even though they
may not be native to a respective country.
Flowers in Traditions and Celebrations
In human life a number of traditions and celebrations are known in which flowers
play an important role. Flower festivals are held typical in each country, like in the
Netherlands during the flowering of the spring flowering bulbs (April/May) or the
National Cherry Blossom Festival (March/April) in Washington, DC or in Japan
over January/April. The annual Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena, California, on New
Year's Day (January 1) incorporates the use of flowers and plant parts to deco-
rate all floats entered into the parade. Conservatories, arboreta and municipalities
throughout the world sponsor flower shows, exhibitions, and special celebrations to
highlight particular flowers of the seasons or for special holidays (Easter, Christ-
mas, Mothering Sunday). In northern latitudes these are particularly important dur-
ing the winter months to bring fresh flowers into people's lives during the cold
winter months. In China the most important floral holiday is the Chinese New Year,
also known as the Spring Festival. Narcissus in pots and cut lilies are produced and
exhibited in large numbers. In other countries, specific flowers may be invoked for
religious celebrations such as the use of native marigolds (
Tagetes erecta, T. patula)
for the Mexican Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos (31 October-2 November)
which predated the Spanish invasion. Other countries have recurrent floral celebra-
tions to honour specific native flowers that have played important historic roles. For
instance, in the Chrysanthemum City, Xiaolan, millions of people come to see the
chrysanthemum shows (Fig.
11.6
).
