Tulip slipped and leaved (Accepted)

The tulip is a cup-shaped flower originally from Persia, and brought to Europe in the 16^th Century; though it was cultivated in many countries, its strongest association is with Holland [EB XXVII:366].  Because of its late introduction to Europe, it’s not surprising that no examples of tulips have been found in period armory.

Like most cup-shaped flowers, the tulip is shown in profile by Society default.  The petals should be shown opened:  the use of the tulip bud, like the rose bud, is not permitted.  The illustration shows a tulip slipped and leaved; it’s taken from Conrad Gesner’s De Hortis Germaniae Liber Recens, 1561.  See also iris, lily.

Dai of the Tulips bears:  Argent, a tulip gules slipped and leaved vert.

Anna de Brabant bears:  Per saltire argent and Or, a tulip flower sable.

Beatrix van der See bears:  Per fess wavy vert and barry wavy argent and azure, in chief three tulips Or.

Lily (Period)

The lily is a flower with a stylized heraldic form.  It was the flower of the Virgin Mary and was a symbol of purity and virtue; in period heraldry, though not found as early as the rose, it was second only to the rose in popularity.  Lilies are found in the arms of Mayo, 1504 [Parker 371].

Though possibly related in origin to the fleur-de-lys, the two were considered distinctly different charges by the end of period:  the grant of arms to Eton College, 1449, has both lilies and a fleur-de-lys, so specified [Hope 67].

Society armory also includes examples of more naturalistic lilies, distinguished in blazon by their breed:  e.g., “arum lily” or “tiger lily”.  These are drawn as found in nature, but no heraldic difference is granted for them.  See also iris, tulip.

Rothin in flamska bears:  Or, a lily gules.

Alais Llewella du Bois bears:  Per pale argent and vert, two lilies slipped and leaved counterchanged.

Leonora Monadh bears:  Vert, three lilies and a bordure Or.

Susannah of York bears:  Argent, a lily slipped and leaved purpure.

Iris slipped and leaved (Accepted)

The iris is a flower with sword-shaped leaves and drooping petals.  In heraldry texts [e.g., Woodward 333], it’s mentioned alongside the lily; but while the lily is often found in period heraldry, no examples have been found of the iris, so blazoned.  As a consequence, the iris has no stylized heraldic form; Society examples are usually depicted as found in nature.  The illustration shows an iris slipped and leaved.  See also tulip.

Keridwen of Montrose bears:  Per chevron counter-ermine and argent, in base an iris azure, slipped and leaved vert.

Rachel Ashton bears:  Or, three irises one and two purpure, cupped vert.

Sionett Roberts bears:  Vert, three irises one and two Or.

Flowers are plants’ organs of reproduction, valued for their ornamental beauty or fragrance.  In heraldry, flowers are generally shown affronty by default.  The exceptions include such cup-shaped blossoms as the lily, such trumpet-shaped blossoms as the daffodil, and such prickly flowers as the thistle; all these are shown in profile by default.  Trumpet-shaped blossoms like the daffodil must have their postures explicitly blazoned, e.g., “bell to chief”.  Other exceptions are noted in the individual entries for those flowers.

For conflict purposes, the Society defines four broad categories for flowers:  “few-petaled” flowers (normally shown affronty), such as the rose and the cherry blossom; “multipetaled” flowers (also normally affronty), such as the daisy and the gillyflower; “trumpet-shaped” flowers (normally shown in profile), such as the lily and the columbine; and “others”, to cover such cases as the thistle.  The Society grants substantial difference between categories of flowers; within each category, no difference is granted for type of flower.  (Although trumpet-shaped flowers can be granted difference for orientation.)

Any flower known to period Europeans may be used in the Society – though, if the flower is not itself European, its use may be considered a step from period practice, as with the New World dogwood.  (An exception would be made for non-European flowers actually used in period European armory, but no examples have been adduced.)

Flowers may be slipped and leaved; such cases are almost always explicitly blazoned.  Some flowers occur in “clusters”, with several small blossoms issuant from a single slip; these are usually so blazoned, since the individual blossoms might also be charges.  A “bouquet” is a set of slipped flowers, tied or conjoined at the stems’ centers: the number of flowers is frequently specified.

For specific entries, see:  columbine, daisy, edelweiss, foil, Gendy flower, gillyflower, iris, lily, lotus, rose, teazel, thistle, trillium, tulip.  For related charges, see fleur-de-lys, slip, wreath.

Karol Johanna Gartenheit bears:  Azure, in fess four jonquil blossoms, bells to chief Or.

Emma Dandelion bears:  Vert, a dandelion slipped and leaved and a bordure argent.

Margaret Obrolchan bears:  Or, three lilies of the valley vert flowered argent.

Rachel of Bon Repos bears:  Argent, a hyacinth azure slipped and leaved proper.

Franca Donato bears:  Argent fretty azure, on a chief sable three hibiscus blossoms argent.

Ygraine o Gaerllion Fawr bears:  Purpure, a bouquet of three daffodils slipped, the centermost affronty and the outermost addorsed Or, within a bordure nebuly argent.