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A clan badge, sometimes called a plant badge, is a badge or emblem, usually a sprig of a specific plant, that is used to identify a member of a particular Scottish clan. They are usually worn affixed to the bonnet behind the Scottish crest badge, or pinned at the shoulder of a lady's tartan sash. According to popular lore clan badges were used by Scottish clans as a means of identification in battle. An authentic example of plants being used in this way (though not by a clan) were the sprigs of oats used by troops under the command of Montrose during the sack of Aberdeen. Similar items are known to have been used by military forces in Scotland, like paper, or the "White Cockade" (a bunch of white ribbon) of the Jacobites.

Authenticity

Despite popular lore, many clan badges attributed to Scottish clans would be completely impractical for use as a means of identification. Many would be unsuitable, even for a modern clan gathering, let alone a raging clan battle. Also, a number of the plants (and flowers) attributed as clan badges are only available during certain times of year. Even though it is maintained that clan badges were used long before the Scottish crest badges used today, according to a former Lord Lyon King of Arms the oldest symbols used at gatherings were heraldic flags such as the banner, standard and pinsel.

There is much confusion as to why some clans have been attributed more than one clan badge. Several 19th century writers variously attributed plants to clans, many times contradicting each other. It has been claimed by one writer that if a clan gained new lands it may have also acquired that district's "badge" and used it along with their own clan badge. It is clear however, that there are several large groups of clans which share badges and also share a historical connection. The Clan Donald group (clans Macdonald, Macdonald of Clanranald, Macdonell of Glengarry, MacDonald of Keppoch) and clans/septs which have been associated with Clan Donald (like certain MacIntyres and the Macqueens of Skye) all have common heath attributed as their badge. Another large group is the Clan Chattan group (clans Mackintosh, Macpherson, Macgillivray, Macqueen, Macbain, Farquharson, Davidson) which have been attributed red whortleberry (sometimes called cranberry in Scotland), or bearberry, or boxwood. The leaves of these three plants are very similar, and at least one writer has claimed that whatever plant which happened to be available was used. One group, the Siol Alpin group, of clans are said to have claimed or are thought to share a common descent. The Siol Alpin clans (clans Grant, Gregor, MacAulay, Macfie, Macnab, Mackinnon, Macquarrie) are all attributed the clan badge of pine (Scots fir). In some cases, clan badges are derived from the heraldry of clan chiefs. For example, the Farquharsons have pine attributed as a clan badge of theirs (pine also appears on the uniforms of the Invercauld Highlanders). Pine was actually used in the Invercauld Arms as a mark of cadencing to the basic Shaw-Mackintosh Arms.

Plants used as badges

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2019)

See also

• Flora of Scotland
• Language of flowers
• Scottish crest badge

Notes and references

1. Highland Heritage: Scottish Americans in the American South; p.39; By Celeste Ray; Published 2001 UNC Press; ISBN 0-8078-4913-8; see
2. Antiquity; p.42; By Nederlands Instituut te Rome; Published 1949 Antiquity Publications; see
3. The Clans, Septs, and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands; p.544; By Frank Adam, Thomas Innes of Learney; Published (1965) Johnston & Bacon
4. ^ Campbell of Airds (2002), pp. 289–290.
5. ^ Adam; Innes of Learney (1970), pp. 541–543.
6. ^ The Scottish Clans And Their Tartans: With Notes, p. 9.
7. "Clan Boyd". scotclans.com.
8. ^ Mackenzie (1884), p. 536.
9. Anderson, William. The Scottish Nation; or, Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, and Biographical History of the People of Scotland. Vol. 1 (Edinburgh and London: A. Fullarton & Co., 1877), 739. "The assumption of the badge of the cumin plant for the supposed clan, a plant that is only found in the region of Egypt, but which happens to be named in the Old Testament, is scarcely correct. It is rather the common sallow, a species of willow, that the Cummings have adopted as their clan badge."
10. "Clan Graham Plant Badges". Clan Graham Society of America. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
11. The Clan Hannay Society
12. ^ The Scottish Clans and their Tartans (1958), W. and A. K. Johnston
13. ^ "Clan MacLachlan Plant Badges". Clan MacLachlan Association of North America, Inc. (cmana.net). Retrieved 14 December 2007.
14. "Clan Livingstone Warrant". clanmclea.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
15. Clive Stace, New Flora of the British Isles, 1991
16. E. C. Nelson, The Western Naturalist vol. 6 (1977), pp 45-72
17. ^ Moncreiffe of that Ilk (1967), p. 20.
18. "CLAN RAMSAY PLANT BADGE". Clan Ramsay Association of North America Official Web Site (clanramsay.org). Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
19. Skene; MacBain (ed.) (1902), p. 325.
20. ^ "History of the Name". clan-wood.org.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2015.

Bibliography

• The Scottish Clans And Their Tartans: With Notes (Library ed.). Edinburgh: W. & A. K. Johnston.
• Adam, Frank; Innes of Learney, Thomas (1970). The Clans, Septs & Regiments of the Scottish Highlands (8th ed.). Edinburgh: Johnston and Bacon.
• Anderson, William (1862). The Scottish Nation; Or The Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, And Biographical History Of The People Of Scotland. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: A. Fullarton & Co.
• Campbell of Airds, Alastair (2002). A History of Clan Campbell: Volume 2: From Flodden to the Restoration. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 1-902930-18-5.
• Mackenzie, Alexander (1884). The Celtic Magazine; a monthly periodical devoted to the literature, history, antiquities, folk lore, traditions, and the social and material interests of the Celt at home and abroad. Vol. 9. Inverness: A. & W. Mackenzie.
• Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Iain. The Highland Clans. London: Barrie & Rockliff, 1967.
• Skene, William Forbes (1902). MacBain, Alexander (ed.). The Highlanders of Scotland. Stirling, Scotland: E. Mackay.

v t e Scottish clans
List of Scottish clans
Clans with chiefs	Agnew Anstruther Arbuthnott Arthur Bannerman Barclay Borthwick Boyd Boyle Brodie Broun Bruce Buchan Buchanan Burnett Cameron Campbell Carmichael Carnegie Carruthers Cathcart Charteris Chattan Chisholm Cochrane Colquhoun Colville Cranstoun Crichton Cumming (Comyn) Cunningham Darroch Davidson Dewar Drummond Dunbar Dundas Durie Elliot Elphinstone Erskine Farquharson Fergusson Forbes Forsyth Fraser Fraser of Lovat Gordon Graham Grant Gregor Grierson Gunn Guthrie Haig Haldane Hamilton Hannay Hay Henderson Home Hope Hunter Irvine Jardine Johnstone Keith Kennedy Kerr Kincaid Lamont Leask Lennox Leslie Lindsay Livingstone Lockhart Lumsden Lyon MacAlister MacBean MacDonald Macdonald of Clanranald Macdonald of Sleat MacDonald of Keppoch MacDonald of Glencoe MacDonell of Glengarry MacDougall MacDowall MacIntyre Mackay Mackenzie Mackinnon Mackintosh Maclachlan Maclaine of Lochbuie MacLaren Maclean MacLennan MacLeod MacLeod of Lewis MacMillan Macnab Macnaghten MacNeacail MacNeil Macpherson MacTavish MacThomas Maitland Makgill Malcolm (MacCallum) Mar Marjoribanks Matheson Menzies Moffat Moncreiffe Montgomery Morrison Munro Murray Napier Nesbitt Nicolson Ogilvy Oliphant Primrose Pringle Ramsay Rattray Riddell Robertson Rollo Rose Ross Ruthven Sandilands Scott Scrymgeour Sempill Shaw Sinclair Skene Spens Stirling Strange Stuart of Bute Sutherland Swinton Trotter Urquhart Wallace Wedderburn Wemyss Wood
Armigerous clans	Abercromby Abernethy Adair Adam Aikenhead Ainslie Aiton Allardice Anderson Armstrong Arnott Auchinleck Baillie Baird Balfour Bannatyne Baxter Bell Belshes Bethune Beveridge Binning Bissett Blackadder Blackstock Blair Blane Blyth Boswell Brisbane Butter Byres Cairns Calder Caldwell Callender Campbell of Breadalbane Campbell of Cawdor Cheyne Chalmers Clelland Clephane Cockburn Congilton Craig Crawford Crosbie Dalmahoy Dalrymple Dalzell Dennistoun Don Douglas Duncan Dunlop Edmonstone Fairlie Falconer Fenton Fleming Fletcher Forrester Fotheringham Fullarton Galbraith Galloway Gardyne Gartshore Gayre Ged Gibsone Gladstains Glas Glen Glendinning Gray Haliburton Halkerston Halket Hepburn Heron Herries Hogg Hopkirk Horsburgh Houston Hutton Inglis Innes Kelly Kinloch Kinnaird Kinnear Kinninmont Kirkcaldy Kirkpatrick Laing Lammie Langlands Learmonth Little Logan Logie Lundin Lyle MacAlpin(e) MacAulay Macbrayne MacDonald of Dunnyveg MacDuff MacEwen MacFarlane Macfie MacGillivray MacInnes MacIver Mackie MacLellan MacPhail Macquarrie Macqueen Macrae Masterton Maule Maxton Maxwell MacCorquodale MacCulloch MacKerrell Meldrum Melville Mercer Middleton Moncur Monteith Monypenny Mouat Moubray Mow Muir Nairn Nevoy Newlands Newton Norvel Ochterlony Orrock Paisley Paterson Pennycook Pentland Peter Pitblado Pitcairn Pollock Polwarth Porterfield Preston Purves Rait Ralston Renton Roberton Rossie Russell Rutherford Schaw Seton Skirving Somerville Spalding Spottiswood Stewart Stewart of Appin Stirling Strachan Straiton Sydserf Symmers Tailyour Tait Tennant Troup Turnbull Tweedie Udny Vans Walkinshaw Wardlaw Watson Wauchope Weir Whitefoord Whitelaw Wishart Young
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