Presidents' Day

Floribunda Rose "Laura Bush."

The pink Rhododendron "President Roosevelt".

Calopaca "obamae lichen" for President Obama.

Red and silver "President Ronald Reagan."

White "President John F. Kennedy."

Red "Mister Lincoln."

As our nation celebrates "Presidents' Day" on February 15, 2010, I'll list a few of the plants named for various Presidents and their first ladies. Most are roses and it may be because the rose is our National Floral Emblem.

"The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 159 has designated the rose as the National Floral Emblem of the United States and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation declaring this fact. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the rose as the National Floral emblem of the United States of America."

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy was responsible for the installation of the White House Rose Garden but she does not have a rose named in her honor.

Others are the "Nancy Reagan" rose, "Washingtonia" (Arecaceae) for George Washington, "Jeffersonia" (Podophyllaceae) for Thomas Jefferson, "Hillary First Lady" Rose for Hillary Clinton, the "Pat Nixon" Rose, "Rosalyn Carter" Rose, the "Barbara Bush" Rose.

Republican roses: Herbert Hoover, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, Eisenhower, Reagan, two Lincolns and two Tafts. Democratic roses: Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.

It was really difficult not to get satirical with this listing because many roses have "descriptive" names that would fit President Bill Clinton possibly too well.

Plus, I'm not real sure our current President would be all that thrilled with a lichen for a namesake. Perhaps I should leave political satire to the newspapers. . .

(Images of roses are taken from the Jackson and Perkins rose catalog and lechin from scientific article.)