| Dutch | History | plants | howtogetthere |
Of the plants dedicated to Mary the lily and the rose are best known. The lily symbolises Mary’s purity and innocence. Legend has it that the Archangel Gabriel held a lily in his hand when he announced the birth of Jesus. The rose is considered to be the queen of flowers just as Mary is the queen of women. Most roses used to be called Our Lady's roses because Mary, on her flight to Egypt, supposedly dried the garments of Jesus Christ on a rosebush.
Numerous wild plants all over Europe used to have names associated with Mary. Some of them are still in use, like Lady's Mantle, Blue-eyed Mary or Marigold. The spots on the leaves of Lungwort were seen as Mary's milk, as testified by the Flemish and German names.