Hort 4000 Spring 2005

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Hort 4000 Spring 2005

• Plant Symbolism
• By Gus Tassara

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Symbolism

• Something that represents or stands for something
  else by association, resemblance, or convention,
  especially a material object used to represent
  something invisible.

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Theopharastus (371-286) BC Described about 500
different plant species
Horticulture science Timeline
Roman Empire 8th BC to 5th Century 1,300-1,400
Different plant species were known
Dark Ages 5th to 13th Century The age of faith.
Little advancement?
Today
Renaissance 14th to 16th Century Botanical work
for medicinal purposes Voyages of discovery
Basis of Systematics (17th and 18th
Century) Binary Nomenclature. Scientific Societies
Horticulture Societies (19th Century)
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Botany and Plant Symbolism

• Modern professional botanists tend to think of
  plant folklore in terms of interesting, but not
  very relevant.
• Our future botanical studies will benefit if we
  remember that folklore, like charity, begins at
  home, and we see it as an important traditional
  facet of our own culture, with a rightful place
  in the background to all our thinking.
  
• J.F.M.Cannon President,
  Botanical Society of the British Isles

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Ethnobotany

• Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a
  particular culture and region make of use of
  indigenous plants. Ethnobotanists explore how
  plants are used for such things as food, shelter,
  medicine, clothing, hunting, and religious
  ceremonies.

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Ethnobotany and Medicine
The ancient magical reputation of plants still
lingers on in present-day popular beliefs and
medicine Some ritual European plants have
already found their way into mainstream medicine.
Ancient Egyptians chewed willow bark to relieve
fever and headaches. Modern scientists discovered
the bark contains which
in turn led to the invention of
. J. Owen National
Geographic News 2004
aspirin
Salicylic acid
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Architecture
Acanthus. Member of the Acanthaceacea
family. Genus Acanthus In Greece 2 BC the
Acanthus was a clear reference to life emerging
from a grave. It was not initially a reference
to resurrection in a Christian sense, but in the
sense that life is cyclical.
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Temple of Olympian Zeus Athens Greece 2th century
BC
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Photo by Chuck LaChiusa
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Palm trees

• Signifies victory and rejoicing
• In Christianity, it signifies righteousness,
  resurrection, and martyrdom based on Christ's
  entry into Jerusalem where Palm branches were
  laid before Him on his path.

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Colonial Architecture
Pineapple Ananas comosus Symbol of
hospitality
Lord Dunmore Stringshire Scotland 1777 Folly
37-foot tall
Colonial Williamsburg
Photos www.history.org
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Cemetery Symbols
Ivy
Lily
Associated with the virgin Mary
Immortality, Friendship, Faithfulness.
photos www.udayton.edu
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The War of Roses(1455-85) Houses of York (white
rose) Lancaster (red rose) Henry Tudor married
into the House of York. This personal union ended
the conflict, and the dynasty, the Tudors,
emerge Henry claimed to unify in himself the the
two rival sides. He chose as his symbol a rose
with both red and white petals.
Wood carving on pillar at Oxford Cathedral
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Religion and Plant Symbolism
Flowers are included in works of art not only
because they are pretty and decorative, but also
because they had a particular meaning. The
symbolism of flowers was used especially in
medieval and renaissance paintings and
tapestries to reinforce the message of the main
subject.
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Fleur-de-lis
Louis VII of France dreamed of Irises before
setting out on the Crusades in 1137 and
considered them to be a sign, and therefore
adopted the flower as his emblem. It became
known in France as the Fleur de Louis. They were
also popularized in England by Edward III,
although they were dropped as a national
standard during the Napoleonic Wars.
Adopted by Christianity as a symbol of the
trinity.
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The Fleur-de-lis
Bouges cathedral, 15th century
www.heraldica.org
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Photo by Jeffrey S. Foster
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Mary Flowers
Flowers associated with Mary, the Mother of
Jesus, are deeply rooted with ancient
folklore. Used in monastery gardens as a place
to pray and meditate. When Christianity spread
from land to land they also spread this type of
garden.
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Cloister Garden
Lincoln Cathedral England
St. Benedict Monastery Bahia Brazil
Jeronimos Monastery Belem Lisbon
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Book of Hours

• This XVI Century French book of Hours
  illustration represents Mary as an immaculate
  Virgin surrounded with biblical symbols.

www.mgardens.org
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Holy Cards
www.mgardens.org
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(No Transcript)
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Adoration of the Shepherds (1483) Hugo van der
goes
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The Annunciation Fra Filippo Lippi (1448)
National Gallery London
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Annunciation Fillipo Lippi (1450) Galeria
Doria Rome
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The Annunciation and the Two Saints Simone
Martini and Lippo Memmi 1333 Florence Italy
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(No Transcript)
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Mary Gardens Today
www.mgardens.org
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Can you guess the name ????
The Greeks called it the Flower of the Flowers
A flower of exquisite beauty it represent purity
and innocence , and is frequently associated with
the Virgin Mary, herself a symbol of purity.
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Lilium candidum
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Courtship and Marriage
For a girl who had several prospective husbands
to choose from there were a number of practices
which would indicate which one would be most
suitable. A common and widespread tradition was
to pick as many ..........as she had prospects,
give each a name, and tuck them into her shirt.
At the end of the day she would taken them out,
and whichever had survived the ordeal would be
the future husband.
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Bachelor Buttons
Centaurea cyanus L.
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To the Greeks, the...........was dyed by the
blood of the goddess Aphrodite
Considered the queen of flowers, they are an
ancient and universal symbol of the incarnation.
Flower symbol of England
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Rose
Rosa spp
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Fruit
As the .....tree among of the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under
his shadow with a great delight, and his fruit
was sweet to my taste. (Song of
Solomon 23)

Forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden
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Apple
Pyrus malus
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Tree
According to an old English proverb, she who
wears ....... flowers will never wear a wedding
ring. To send one's promised partner a sprig of
...... was considered a delicate way of breaking
off an engagement.
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Lilac
Syringa spp
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References
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References