Many countries across the world are recognized by a plant that symbolizes their geographical area. These emblems are sometimes determined by public opinion or by government officials. A nation's plant is sometimes referred to as a floral emblem. Below are some of the world's major countries and the floral emblems that represent them.

Australia: Australia's national flower as a whole is the Acacia pycnantha, otherwise known as the Golden Wattle. However, each territory within Australia has their own floral emblem.

France: The Iris or Fleur de lis, which means lily flower, is the national floral emblem for the country of France. The meaning of the Iris flower is hope, wisdom, courage, faith, and admiration.

Japan: The government officials of Japan have never determined a national flower for their country. The cherry blossom is generally considered as their national flower with the chrysanthemum flower used by the Japanese Imperial Family as their official seal. The chrysanthemum means friendship.

China: China's national floral emblem is not an official one. However, the country of China is depicted by the peony, the Chrysanthemum, the plum blossom or the sunflower. The peony represents a happy marriage, life and healing. The chrysanthemum represents a true friend. The plum blossom represents a long life and beauty. The sunflower depicts devotion.

United Kingdom: The United Kingdom, which consists of four countries which include England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, each has their own national floral emblem. England's national floral symbol is the Tudor rose. Wales national floral symbol is the leek, the sessile oak, or the daffodil, which represents unrequited love. Northern Ireland is represented by the shamrock, the flax, or the orange lily, which represents pride, wealth, and hate. Scotland's national floral emblem is depicted by the heather, the Scottish bluebell, which depicts humility or the thistle.

United States: In 1986, our 40th President, Ronald Reagan, determined what our national flower would be and signed it into our legislation making it official. The beautiful rose represents the United States of America. A rose represents a variety of things depending on its specific color.

Canada: Canada's representing floral emblem is the maple leaf. The maple leaf is seen on their flags, as well as many coat of arms. The maple leaf symbolizes the nature that surrounds all of Canada and the tree that is grown there. It has aided Canada in revenue production.

Greece: The flower that represents the country of Greece is the laurel branch or the violet. The laurel represents success. The violet depicts simplicity and a sense of modesty.

Germany: The national flower that represents Germany is the oak or the cornflower, which stands for delicacy.

These are just some of the nations, their floral emblems and what they represent. For further information on other countries and their floral emblems, consult your local library or the World Wide Web.