Flower Power Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Wars of the Roses

The feuding royal families were the House of Lancaster (badge of the red rose), and the House of York. (badge of the white rose.) The dispute ended in 1485 when Henry Tudor, related to the Lancaster House, defeated King Richard III at Bosworth Field. Henry then became King and married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two families.

He also merged the rival red and white roses to form the Tudor rose - a red and white rose.

Answer: Sunflower

Temples were adorned with golden images of sunflowers, and Incan priestesses wore sunflower headdresses. The first European contact with the plants was when Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro found the Incan people in South America wearing them to honor their sun god. Sunflowers reached Europe in the early 17th century.

Answer: Tulip

While most people associate the tulip with the Netherlands, the flower is actually indigenous to Central Asia. Tulip Mania reached the Netherlands by the 1620s. Perhaps the most expensive tulip ever purchased was the 'Semper Augustus', which sold for 6,000 florins. The average yearly income at that time was 150 florins.

Answer: Japan

The 'Chrysanthemum Throne' is actually the English term for what the Japanese call 'The Imperial Throne'. The chrysanthemum is the official seal of the Emperor's family, and is shown on the Imperial flag and on Japanese passports.

Answer: Edelweiss

Swiss generals are only appointed during wartime. Two generals were elected in the 19th century and two in the 20th century. - The edelweiss was also the emblem of the 'Edelweiss Pirates', an anti-Nazi youth group in WWII Germany.

Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte

When Napoleon was exiled to Elba in 1814, he told his friends that he would "return with the violets." (In the spring.) Thus the violet became the emblem of those who wished his return. 'Corporal Violet' was a popular toast among his supporters. Napoleon did in fact return to France in March 1815, declaring himself ruler.

He was defeated at Waterloo on June 18, and formally surrendered July 15.

Answer: Snap Dragon

British soldiers were sent to quell an uprising. The Virginian colonists were rebelling against their governor, Sir William Berkeley. However, the troops made the mistake of eating Jimson weed. (Corrupted from the original name, 'Jamestown Weed.') Jimson weed causes hallucinations, delirium, high fever, and hypertension.

In extreme cases, it can also cause seizures, respiratory arrest, and death. The British troops were quite incapacited for about 11 days. Most reports agree that this was a case of accidental food poisoning. Yet, it is still a possibility that that the poisoning was deliberate.

Answer: Lavender

Glovemakers would scent their stock with lavender oil, and thieves sometimes washed loot stolen from victim's graves with lavender as well. Other people would tie bunches of lavender around their wrists, hoping it would protect them from contracting the Plague. This may have actually helped, since the Plague was spread by fleas, and lavender is known to repel fleas.

Answer: Red Poppies

The red corn poppy was chosen because it was one of the few flowers that could bloom in the battlefields of Flanders Fields. The red color also well symbolizes the blood shed in that war. Some choose to wear white poppies instead, symbolizing a desire for peaceful alternatives to warfare.

Answer: Scarlet Carnation

In 1876, William McKinley was campaigning to represent northeastern Ohio in Congress. Also running for that position was Dr. Levi Lamborn, a personal friend of McKinley's. Lamborn had recently purchased six red carnation seedlings from France. Mckinley expressed admiration for the beauty of these flowers, so Lamborn plucked one of them and gave it him to put in his buttonhole. From that point on he was always wore a red carnation in his lapel for good luck.

He won the Congressional Seat, and later became President in 1896.

In 1901, while attending the Pan-American Expo in NY, it is said that McKinley gave his lucky flower to a little girl who asked for it, so she could prove to her friends that she had spoken to him. Seconds later he was shot by Leon Frank Czolgosz.

In 1904 Ohio adopted the Scarlet Carnation as it's official state flower, in his honor.