Dictation - The flowers that symbolise the United Kingdom.-English lesson

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The National Flowers of the United Kingdom

Welcome!

The flag is the first national symbol, but it is not the only one that represents a country.

Let's discover the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

Behind each flower lies a story or a legend that explains why it became the national emblem of a region. Five plants - the rose, the shamrock, the thistle, the leek, and the daffodil - often appear on the royal coats of arms of the United Kingdom.

The Rose of England

The Tudor Rose represents England. As its name suggests, it comes from the Tudor family. This symbol appeared at the end of the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century, which opposed the House of Lancaster, represented by the red rose, and the House of York, represented by the white rose.

In 1485, Henry Tudor, better known as Henry VII, seized the crown and created the Tudor Rose: a red rose symbolising his family with a white centre for his wife Elizabeth of York. Since the end of the 15th century, this flower has remained the emblem of England.

The Shamrock of Ireland

The extremely popular emblem of Ireland is the three-leaf clover, also known as the shamrock, which in Old Gaelic means "young plant with three leaves." According to tradition, Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity during the Christianisation of the country.

The Thistle of Scotland

The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since the reign of King Alexander III (1249-1286). It is represented by a purple flower surrounded by many thorns.

Its legend dates back to the Middle Ages: during an ambush prepared by the Vikings, one of the warriors stepped on a thistle, pricked himself, and cried out in pain. His shout alerted the Scots, who managed to avoid the ambush thanks to the thistle. Since then, it has been considered the "guardian" of Scotland and its people.

The Leek and the Daffodil of Wales

Wales has two national emblems: the leek and the daffodil.

The leek is the main emblem. According to legend, it became the symbol of Wales after a battle against the Anglo-Saxons. Saint David advised the Welsh soldiers to attach leeks to their helmets so that they could recognise each other in the fields of leeks where the battle was fought.

The daffodil is also associated with Wales. It is worn in the buttonhole on 1st March, Saint David's Day, the national holiday of Wales. It is said to have been popularised in the 19th century, sometimes replacing the leek. Central Wales is full of daffodil fields, which are cultivated for medicinal purposes because they contain galantamine, a substance used to treat Alzheimer's disease.

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Find 10 mistakes in this text.

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 Wars 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 is 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 the early Middle Ages and has inspired admiration among the Scottish people. It is said that during an ambush 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 fields 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, 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.

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