OUR NATIONAL FLOWER. 
By Dr. Morris Gripes. 
Ye field flowers! The gardens eclipse you, ’tis true, 
Yet, wildings of Nature, I dote upon you, 
For ye waft me to summers of old, 
When the earth teemed around me with fairy delight, 
And when daisies and buttercups gladdened my sight, 
Like treasures of silver and gold. —Campbell. 
Are we to have a national flower ? and, if so, 
who is to select it for us? There has been 
much talk regarding a national flower, during 
the last few years, through the medium of the 
papers, and many suggestions have been ad- 
vanced by the friends of various favorites, but, 
fortunately, at the present time no selection 
has as yet been made. By some peculiar 
power supposed to be possessed by a self-se- 
lected few, who have consulted and agreed, we 
are almost forced to believe that we are already 
possessed of a national flower in the beautiful 
golden rod. Just who these persons are, self- 
authorized to make our selection, we are un- 
able to say, but, judging by their anxiety to 
hasten matters ere all have been heard, it is 
fair to infer that they must be endowed by Na- 
ture with discriminating powers of a remark- 
able degree. 
The shamrock, thistle and fleur-de-lis were 
known to all in the countries where they were 
selected as emblematic, but here in America 
there are many much better acquainted with 
foreign species than with the golden rod, and 
even many of our American-born citizens of 
refinement do not know this arbitrarily-selected 
plant, even though it is of such general disper- 
sion. 
Without entering into a detailed account ot 
the suggestions offered as to our national 
flower, with a list of favorites suggested by 
various persons, we will venture our opinion 
why the golden rod should not be selected as 
anemblem. First, it is not universally known, 
and can only be cultivated with difficulty in 
many parts ; secondly, there are nearly or quite 
forty species in the Union, and generalizing is 
a very poor way indeed in a matter which is to 
remain of national importance ; thirdly, we re- 
quire something typical, well-defined and 
strictly characteristic of America. 
In a careful review of all that can be tound 
on the subject of our national flower, the sug- 
gestion of Mr. Maurice Thompson, of Craw- 
fordsville, Ind., appears the most sensible ; he 
proposes the blossom of the white-wood, or, as 
it is commonly called in the South, tulip tree 
or poplar (Liriodéndron tulipifera). Mr. 
Thompson has made an excellent selection, and 
one which should merit our consideration. 
The tulip tree is alone in its genus, and is em- 
phaticallv a tree of America, belonging to the 
magnolia family. It is well known to nearly 
all, while white-wood lumber forms a stapl 
article in the market, where it is much in de 
mand for many purposes. Often but impro- 
perly called sycamore, it is generally called 
tulip, in allusion to its flowers, which some- 
what resemble tulips in form. The flowers 
appear in late spring, and are of a yellowish 
color tinged with green and orange, and are 
very handsome but little known, as they are 
very seldom plucked, the tree being tall and 
rarely climbed. 
Aside from the fact that the golden rod is 
not considered suitable as a representative ot 
our country, it is, however, a most pleasing 
flower, and we may well consider it in the 
glory of its autumn splendor. Gray’s manual 
embraces thirty-seven species and_ varieties 
within our boundaries, in addition to which 
there are undoubtedly several forms yet to be 
described, while a few of the species may yet 
prove to be varieties. Embraced in the com- 
posite family the golden rod comes in what is 
known as the genus So/idago, a word from the 
Latin, meaning fo make whole. The laugh- 
able thought at once occurs, when thinking of 
this flower as our national selection, that the 
choice is not entirely inappropriate, when we 
consider that the United States is the univer- 
sally selected haven for quacks, and therefore 
it is a worthy standard for our rampant empir- 
icism, from its name. Although so named (a 
cure all) the genus is considered practically 
inert as regards medical properties. The 
pharmacopoeia ascribes various effects to So/i- 
