ViCTOlUA IIKUIA 
TilE KMllI.EM OK THE SOCIETV 
5)a 
London appears to liave made no further use of it that has been re- 
corded. In fact, as we shall see later, they published an emblem of quite 
a different design in 1844. Their de.scendants apparently made no use 
of a badge until 1922. In that year Dr. G. C. Druce, Secretary of the 
Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles, had occasion 
to investigate early records in connection with a paper on the history 
of the Society published in the Be port (Druce, 1923). In this he men- 
tions the “badge or crest’’ and the meeting of 1837 referred to above. 
A reproduction of the original plate, headed “Victoria Begina” , with 
“Floreat Flora” below appeared on the title pages of both the Secre- 
tary’s and Distributor’s Beports for 1922 (issued j\Jay 1923). The iise 
of this block was continued on the title-pages of the Beports of the 
Society until the series terminated in 1947. In that year, the name of 
the Society was changed to the present title, and the publications re- 
arranged as Watsonia and the Year Book. For the latter a new' block 
of the emblem was prepared from a drawing kindly made for us from 
the original plate by Mrs E. Milne-Redhead. In this the name of the 
species has been altered to Victorm regia. 
There is clearly room for difference of opinion about the name to be 
used in future in our emblem for the species depicted. If the view is 
taken that we must use the correct name — and clearly there is much to 
be said for this — then it must be given as Victoria amazoiiica. Others 
will regret any suggestion that the long accepted Victoria, regia, which 
appears at present, should be dropped. It could also be contended that 
Victoria Begina was the name printed on the original plate and the one 
w'ith which the Society has direct connection, and that there is a case 
for using it irrespective of the fact that it is no longer accepted as the 
name of the species. 
“Floreat Flora” w’hich appears under the emblem may perhaps be 
translated as “May Flora flourish” or “Ijet the flora blossom” but it is 
difficult to convey in English the implications of the original. 
It must be admitted that a tropical water-lil}- is prima jade a most 
unsuitable emblem for a Society which has as its object the encourage- 
ment of the study of the flora of the British Isles. Our forerunners’ 
studies ranged over a much wdder field. Nevertheless the badge has 
been in continuous use throughout the membership of all but a very few' 
of our oldest members and has an interesting history. Moreover the 
plant portrayed is one which suggests desirable characteristics in its 
rapid growth, great strength and the manner in which it forms a natural 
radiating pattern. It serves to remind us of the success which rew'arded 
its discoverer’s struggle against great difficulties in his passage up the 
river, and of a link with a noble Queen early in our history. 
So much for the main subject of my paper, but I think I should also 
draw your attention to the otlier emblem used by the Botanical Society 
of London. Although they adopted Victoria. Begina. in 1837 they used 
a very different design on the covers of the first five editions of the 
London Catalogue of British Plants published under their direction in 
1844, 1848, 1850, 1853 and 1857. On these there is a portrait of John 
