SESSION 1893-94. 



I.— THE ROSE, THISTLE, AND SHAMROCK. 



By Dr WM. WATS OK 



(Read Nov. 23, 1803.) 



On the side of the cross-road from Fairmilehead to the village 

 of Colinton there is a marble slab, erected by the late Mr 

 Macfie of Dreghorn. On this slab verses of poetry are in- 

 scribed to the memory of General Gordon. One verse runs 

 thus — 



" Kose, thistle, shamrock, and the modest leek, 

 Are one in feeling what they may not speak." 



Taking this as my text, I wish to consider how the rose, 

 thistle, shamrock, and leek came to be the emblems of Eng- 

 land, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and what species of each 

 of these plants is specially representative of the four nations. 



With regard to the rose, there are five common species in 

 Britain : tbe burnet-leaved Scotch rose (Rosa spinosissima) ; the 

 villous rose (Rosa villosa) ; the sweetbrier (Rosa riibiginosa) ; 

 the dog-rose (Rosa canina) ; and the close-styled rose (Rosa 

 arvensis). The first four are generally red, the last is gener- 

 ally white ; though, as Dick of Thurso says, " many roses tend 

 to be red and hairy in dry years, white and smooth in wet 

 years." Still, as a general rule, four of them are red and one 

 white. 



If we are to accept Pliny as an authority, we must consider 



