Oak Leaf – The Daily Flower for 24 January

Thanks to Tina and Ike, most people have heard of Nutbush City, Tennessee. Somehow, the little town of Oak Leaf, Texas, (population 1,209 in the year 2000) didn’t quite become the same kind of household name. Far better, it unwittingly became a gardenhold name.

Oak leaf by herschel_rubinstein

Named after the foliage of the noble Quercus tree, this little town must have quite a bit going for it. First off, the genus name Quercus is said to be derived from the Celtic words quer (fine) and cuez (tree), suggesting more than a bit of alright. Secondly, oak leaves are said to connote ‘welcome’ and ‘bravery’ in floriography, meaning a great public perception of a conurbation of courageous and convivial citizens. And, thirdly, as anyone with a smidgen of military savoir-faire will know, an oak leaf cluster is a medallion of sorts that designates the wearer has been awarded the honour more than once. Something to be proud of, indeed.

Good for giving to: Brave hosts.

Great oak leaves in literature: Welcoming, courageous or just plain helpful?:

The elements, however, abetted me in making a path through the deepest snow in the woods, for when I had once gone through the wind blew the oak leaves into my tracks, where they lodged, and by absorbing the rays of the sun melted the snow, and so not only made a my bed for my feet, but in the night their dark line was my guide.
From Walden & on the Duty of Civil Disobedience  by Henry David Thoreau

Tags: flowers, oak leaf, Quercus, floriography