About Plant Badges

[Pipersson]

The thought Edelsweiss could be german heritage plant badge shows how Germany is noticed in the United States (Oktoberfest and Alt Heidelberg).
But let me tell you Bavaria is just a small southern part of Germany (and the bavarians don't want to be germans in the firts line but bavarians...) and Edelweiss does not grow in the most parts of Germany even just in small parts of Bavaria.
AND the plant is severely protected being so rare.
As a german from Hamburg which is in the north I never saw a real Edelweiss growing in nature and I wouldn't feel represented by it at all.
There are many typical plants in the different areas of Germany and Edelweiss is much more typical for Austria or Switzerland.
As a matter of fact the oak is considered to be the typical german plant and..I would guess also plant badge.

Tom

[IsaacW]

Excellent points, Tom.

The thought Edelsweiss could be german heritage plant badge shows how Germany is noticed in the United States (Oktoberfest and Alt Heidelberg).

Speaking from Wisconsin, many of the people here and in Minnesota of "German" descent are from the area of Bavaria and these are the traditions that followed (and what people selectively remember). Most "German" descent Wisconsinites and Minnesotans came over around the joining of Bavaria with the German Federation (1871 and after). For many, this was a choice because they were Catholic and did not like the joining into a more protestant, Prussian-led, "Germany." Anyway, that is what I have always been told here, in this small part of the U.S.

Isaac, lover of history and immigrant history