New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-07
AS A NATIONAL FLOWE
COLCMBINE'S UNFITNESS.
Some Of the Claims Of the Golden
rod to RecO gnitiOn.
To the Editor Of The Tribune

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Whatever may be the fttest flower to he
adopted as our national emblem. there can be lit
tie question that the columbine which is again
being so specioVsly and pertinaciously doomed
Is conspicuously unfit In scarcely one important
respect does it answer the most obvious require
ments
Our national flower should he as far as possible,
dIstinottvely American The colunbine is not.
Only two kinds of it ara generally known in the
United States. One is the Aquileeia vulgaris-the
common. garden VARIETY It is purely or
European origin The other is the wild coumblne.
or Aquilegia Canadensis It would be appropriate
f'r Canada. but not for US, All the other varieties
and there are several Of them-are local in their
hahitats and are not generally known
again. our rational flower should he. if not sing"
IN type. at least reasonably uniform that the
nlehtl'h or II would unfailinely suggest stand
ard form and color That is not true Of the Colum-
n.he IN one place II means one thing and In an
o'her another thing Aquilesis vulsaris Is purple.
Alpna is blue Chrysantha is yellow Fraerans is
white or livid lucinda is blue and white Cana
del.sis is scarlet and yellow. L-ptCceras is blue
and yellow Which Of these of the various
others IS 10 he adopted as the national type
our national flower also should be familiar 10 al
the ton. The coirnhne Is not. It is not Cuitl-
waited in gardens as much a dozen others, and
in its wild state il IS nor comparable with any e
score in the frequency win which II occurs-with
the violet, the anemOne. the daisy. the goldenr"I.
tho aster the sunhower. the wild carrot the laurel.
the dogWood and what not else II :. excepting
IN special localities one Of the least familiar Of our
wild flowers. In a large part Of the country IT Is
entirely unknown
hesitate to add that orr national flower should
have. if possible some appropriate significance or
association, seeing how peppery the columhine
propa gandists are at any connection e their idol
with the familiar Columbin Of the pantomlme
stage the daughter Of Pant3loon and sweetheart OF
HARLEQUIN Well il NAV he that the flower was not
named after the actress. the actress
after the flower, but that they both got the same
name from the same soUrce-'lttle dove II is
urdtuishIe. however, that the two are, and prob
aby will always be. lnseparahly associated IN me
poI ular mind circumstance doubtless furthered
~ the fact Of the stage Columtines wearing a
cap and indeed. generally an entire costume,
modelled after the flower. and it is 10 be feared
that despite all academic disclaimers, If the col
umnine were adopted as our national flower a
Ia majority Of people would persist IN thinking
s,acC
on the other hand are the advocates Of the
coumbine quite sure Of the significance Of the
scientific name Aquilesia They pretend that II
means eagle. eagles talCns, and II Is true
that some Of the books do give that definition.
without any satisfactory explanation Of H. But
the highest authorities reject that definition, and,
with vastly more reason and plauslol-ty' make the
word mean water drawing a conductor OF
water. with no reference whatever 70 the eagle
one thing IS certain, that the legendary. poetcal
sentimental significance # the flower from time
inmemorial has been that Of disappointed or be
tTayed love
n; men s2q ss1 4, 's seg q. ga? az. aF: :9,
u NAV b. doubted whether Columbia wants TO
wear the emblem If a iited lover
or the inadequacy Of the colunbine with an is
purposes u IS needless 70 speak. The idea or using
the flower IN such fashion. If put forward. oo@lt
- provocative OF nothing rut rrth ana deristor.
without desiring 10 attenrr 70 boom" any par
tcular flower for adoption as our national emblem
would Ike noin' ont The marked superiority
Of such flowers the daisy, the 'hiark-eNoi
Susan" the aster and perhaps especially tho
Foldenrod the columbine ir tho respects which
! have mentioned Note particularly the golden
rod White exclusively e. rs dstinct.Helv Amer
team In no other land is r. ANYTHING IKE So com
mon as here We have ne1-lv % hundred srrccs
of H. while England has only ono While trare
arc so many species ~ q. they are all s. nearly
alike as 10 be unDistakahle The. or" an al Ike en-
color save ore minor species which .s pale p
Yellow 10 be nearly white From Maine 20 Call
fcrna the mention OF Eoldenrod suggests -
specific picture 20 the mind docs the r-en-
lion % q rose or star II is. moreover. on" ~
the most widely distributed and universally "a
rniltar II all flowers As 70 It's significance. 70
IS Of the foremost representa- ~ -" great
family ~ the Comp tribe flowers which aye
many In one"-Hrd Its scientific name. ssl1aE".
means n unite firmly. 10 make whole Finally. as
q decorative flower. whether for The actual use -
the growing or cut flower itself or FOR ifs conFer-
ronal Use IN pictorial and sculptu-ed art the
FolGenrod surely has superior and few rivals n
applica biltty and effectiveness
But any rate The columbluc. which nobody
would ever have thought q but for the accident
Of SIS name. IS consIicuousy unfit n be our
national flower that its ortiNcialy promoted can
didaOy seems quite absurd. FoTANIST.
New York. July 4 100.