IN THE United States, the corn¬ 
flower is known by many different names, the 
most common being bachelor’s button, rag¬ 
ged robin, mountain bluet, and blue bottle. 
... A romantic significance associated with 
the cornflower has given it the name of 
“bachelor’s button.” European peasants re¬ 
late that the cornflower once had an enchant¬ 
ing influence over young lovers whose custom 
it was to carry a few of the blossoms in their 
pockets to make sure of their happiness and 
success in love. In keeping with the old tradi¬ 
tion, the blossoms were to be picked and 
placed in the pocket while the dew was still 
on them and if, after being in the lover’s 
pocket for twenty-four hours, they remained 
fresh and blue the youth would enjoy a happy 
marriage with the lady he loved — but, if the 
blossoms wilted the marriage would be un¬ 
happy. Superstitious lovers adhered to this 
belief and when the blossoms died they re¬ 
mained bachelors through fear of entering 
into an unhappy marriage. Thus, the corn¬ 
flower became known as bachelor’s button. . . 
Because of its historical significance, the corn¬ 
flower was adopted by the German Imperial 
Family. Queen Louise, of Prussia, and her 
children fleeing from Berlin as Napoleon I 
was advancing took refuge in a field of grain. 
To help pass the weary hours, she braided 
wreaths of cornflowers for their little heads. 
One of those children who, years later, be¬ 
came Emperor William remembered the blue 
flower and when he retaliated by conquering 
Napoleon III, made it his emblem. The 
Emperor’s people also adopted it and thus, 
the cornflower became the official flower of 
Germany, where it grows abundantly 
in every field. 
