[cajunscot]

Originally Posted by Bigkahuna

Why not?? Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his cap and called it Macaroni!!!

Because he was a fool?*

*The original meaning of "Doodle" was "fool", as the song was lampooning colonial militia.

T.

[Brian K]

I guess I'm lucky I belong to this "clan" because I can use a dandelion. My Scottish roots are on my mother's side. Her father was a McConnell which, apparently, is a sept of Clan MacDonald and the plant badge for that clan is listed as common heath which is an Australian plant (!?!) and her mother was an Anderson which has no plant badge listed. Of course, since the Anderson clan badge shows an oak tree, perhaps oak leaves might be appropriate.

I feel pretty good about this clan so I'd rather stick to the dandelion anyway. In the language of flowers the dandelion seems to stand for fidelity (or faithfulness) and happiness. Who needs more than that?

[MacBean]

heath = heather (and is also the common name for the entire family including azaleas and rhododendrons). You can often find heather varieties at nurseries. The red whortleberry in my avatar is also a heath.

Remember the scene of the three witches from MacBeth "When shall we three meet again? In thunder lightning or in rain? Where the place? Upon the heath. There to meet with MacBeth!" That's all the Shakespeare I can quote, though my son can recite reams and reams (he's an actor). I played one of the three witches in school when I was eleven.

[Brian K]

MacBean,

That had occurred to me, but what further confused the issue was the fact that on more than one list it named common heath as the MacDonald badge and had other badges listed as various heathers. The use of both forms of the name seemed as though they must refer to entirely different plants. Of course, it could be a question of how the badges are referred to in the clan/family associated with it.

Regards,

Brian

[BoldHighlander]

Originally Posted by MacBean

heath = heather (and is also the common name for the entire family including azaleas and rhododendrons). You can often find heather varieties at nurseries. The red whortleberry in my avatar is also a heath.

Remember the scene of the three witches from MacBeth "When shall we three meet again? In thunder lightning or in rain? Where the place? Upon the heath. There to meet with MacBeth!" That's all the Shakespeare I can quote, though my son can recite reams and reams (he's an actor). I played one of the three witches in school when I was eleven.

Originally Posted by Brian K

That had occurred to me, but what further confused the issue was the fact that on more than one list it named common heath as the MacDonald badge and had other badges listed as various heathers. The use of both forms of the name seemed as though they must refer to entirely different plants. Of course, it could be a question of how the badges are referred to in the clan/family associated with it.

I'd have to agree with MacBean as well. I too have noted some on-line sources listing the Australian "heath", but as MacBean pointed out it is also a very old term used in literature throughout the UK. As for Clan Donald, I have seen the common heath/heather (purple-pink) listed as the plant badge, whilst my own branch (that of the Keppoch Macdonnell's/Macdonalds) list the white heather.

I hope that helps