Similarly the later saints had particular flowers dedicated to their
memory; and, indeed, a complete catalogue of flowers has been
compiled--one for each day in the year--the flower in many cases having
been selected because it flowered on the festival of that saint. Thus the
common bean was dedicated to St. Ignatius, and the blue hyacinth to St.
Dorothy, while to St. Hilary the barren strawberry has been assigned. St.
Anne is associated with the camomile, and St. Margaret with the
Virginian dragon's head. Then there is St. Anthony's turnips and St.
Barbara's cress--the "Saints' Floral Directory," in "Hone's Every-Day
Book," giving a fuller and more extensive list. But the illustrations we
have already given are sufficient to show how fully the names of the
saints have been perpetuated by so many of our well-known plants not
only being dedicated to, but named after them, a fact which is perhaps
more abundantly the case on the Continent. Then, as it has been
remarked, flowers have virtually become the timepieces of our religious
calendar, reminding us of the various festivals, as in succession they
return, in addition to immortalising the history and events which such
festivals commemorate. In many cases, too, it should be remembered, the
choice of flowers for dedication to certain saints originated either in their
medical virtues or in some old tradition which was supposed to have
specially singled them out for this honour.
Footnotes:
- Sanscrit for lotus. 2. Hindu poem, translated by Sir William Jones. 3. "Flower-
lore," p. 118. - Folkard's "Plant Legends," p. 245. 5. "Flower-lore," p. 120. 6. Quarterly Review,
cxiv. 231. - "Flower-lore," p. 2. 8. Ibid. 9. Quarterly Review, cxiv. 235. 10. Ibid., p. 239. 11.
"Flower-lore." - Folkard's "Plant Legends," p. 44. 13. Folkard's "Plant Legends," p. 395. 14.
"Flower-lore," p. 13. - Fraser's Magazine, 1870, p. 714. 16. "Flower-lore," p. 14. 17. "Flower-lore," p.
- Quarterly Review, cxiv. 233; "Flower-lore," p. 15. 19. See Baring-Gould's
"Myths of the Middle Ages."
- Quarterly Review, cxiv. 233; "Flower-lore," p. 15. 19. See Baring-Gould's
- "Flower-lore," p. 12. 21. See chapter on Folk-Medicine.