Which plant is a symbol of Northern Ireland?

Symbols in Northern Ireland are more than just pictures. The Troubles in Northern Ireland have ensured that symbols here represent division as often as they represent unity, and that the history and meaning of the symbols can mean that certain groups find them alienating, or even threatening.

The symbol for the Northern Ireland assembly is a good example of an attempt to choose a shared and inclusive symbol. The blue flower is the flax flower – and flax was the plant at the basis of the successful linen industry in the north of Ireland. People from all backgrounds worked in the linen industry, making the flax flower a neutral symbol.

Flax (also known as common flax or linseed), Linum usitatissimum, is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is a food and fiber crop cultivated in cooler regions of the world. The textiles made from flax are known in the Western countries as linen, and traditionally used for bed sheets, underclothes, and table linen. The oil is known as linseed oil. In addition to referring to the plant itself, the word "flax" may refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. The plant species is known only as a cultivated plant, and appears to have been domesticated just once from the wild species Linum bienne, called pale flax.