Behind each flower lies a story or legend that explains why it become the region ' s national emblem . Three flowers (rose , shamrock , thistle ) often appear on the royal coats of arms of the United Kingdom . The Tudor Rose represents England . As its name sugests , it comes from the Tudor family . This symbol appeared at the end of the War of the Roses in the 15th century , which pited the House of Lancaster , represented by the red rose , against the House of York , represented by the white rose . In 1485 , Henry Tudor , better known as Henry VII , seized the crown and created the red rose , representing his family , with a white heart for his wife Elizabeth of York . This floral symbol has remaining the symbol of England since the end of the 15th century . An extremely popular emblem of Ireland : the three-leaf clover , also known as the shamrock , which means ‘young plant with three leaves\ ' in Old Gaelic . The clover was used by Saint Patrick , patron saint of Ireland , to explain the Holy Trinity during the evangelisation of the country . The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since the reign of King Alexander III (1249-1286 ) . It is represented by a pourple flower surrounded by numerous thorn . Its legend dates back to a time when it aroused the admiration of the Scots . It is said that during an ambush that the Vikings were preparing against the Scots , one of the warriors priked himself on a thistle and cried out in pain . His cries alerted the soldiers and they were able to avoid the ambush thanks to the thistle . Since then , it has been considered the ‘guardian\ ' of Scotland and the Scots . Wales has two plant emblems : the leek and the daffodil . The leek is the main emblem of Wales . According to legend , the leek became the emblem of Wales following a battle against the Anglo-Saxons . Saint David advised the soldiers to attach leeks to the tops of their hemets so that they would blend in with the field of leeks in which they were to battle the Anglo-Saxons . The daffodil is the flower of Wales and is wore in the buttonhole on 1st March , Saint David ' s Day and the national holiday of Wales . It is said to have been introduced in the 19th century to replace the modeste leek . Central Wales is full of daffodil fields , which are cultivated for medicinal purposes , as they are used to produce galantamine , a drug used to treat Alzheimer ' s disease . Thus , each region of the United Kingdom has its own national flower and represents the identity of the areas that make up the country .
