Flowers of many kinds are found in South African coats of arms. Perhaps the most familiar are daisies, and two different kinds are found in provincial coats of arms. Northern Cape has a pair of Namaqua daisies – most likely Arctotis breviscapa, although the flower most usually called Namaqua daisy is Dimorphotheca sinuata, while the Afrikaans equivalent name of Namakwalandse gousblom is normally reserved for A fastuosa. The Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) appears in the arms of Mpumalanga, and is repeated in the coronet this province uses instead of a crest.

A particularly striking indigenous flower is the Orange River lily (Crinum bulbispermum), which appears in the arms of the Free State Province.

Another outstanding indigenous is the strelitzia (Strelitzia reginæ), which appears in the arms of several institutions. Here it is found in the arms of Sunridge Primary School and in the new arms of KwaZulu-Natal.

While nature knows many kinds of aloes, in the Eastern Cape it is mostly Aloe ferox that appears in coats of arms. The arms of the Port Elizabeth Divisional Council (below right) not only has two aloe plants in the top, but also includes two specimens of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica), a plant now listed as a prohibited alien. Almost as if to make up for this solecism, the council’s arms also included, outside the shield, four inflorescences of an unspecified protea species – probably Protea repens, or perhaps P neriifolia.

Aloes also occur in the arms of the Nelson Mandela Metropole and of the Hoërskool Brandwag, while another is found in the badge adopted in 1997 by the South African Police Service (replacing the 1930 version of the Union arms previously used by the South African Police, within the same star).

Two protea species appear in the arms of the Union (and Republic) of South Africa. The national flower, Protea cynaroides, can be seen between the hindlegs of the dexter supporter, growing from the compartment (the ground the supporters stand on). On the sinister side is another protea, but it’s not entirely clear what species it’s meant to be.

And in the “circle of ascendance” of the arms which South Africa took into use in 2000 is a stylised P cynaroides in the colours of the national flag.

P cynaroides also appears in the coronet which Western Cape uses instead of a crest.

In the arms of East London, aloes (probably A arborescens) appear in the compartment, but they are ridiculously small between the hind legs of the buffalo. Transkei has a pair of aloes similarly small and paired, but this time in the crest.

A water lily can be seen in the arms of Despatch.

Exotic flowers are no longer favoured as they once were, but the sunflower (Helianthus anuus), because it is economically useful, can be seen in the crest of North West Province.

And then there are exotics that are of special significance because they are symbols of countries from which settlers came to South Africa. The thistle appears in two coats of arms from Albany – two thistles are in the chief of Rhodes University’s shield, while a single thistle shares the chief of the Albany Divisional Council’s shield with a leek and a shamrock, symbols respectively of Wales and Ireland.

For the Chinese people, the poppy is an important national symbol. Two stylised poppies are in the arms of Chinese High School, Port Elizabeth.

Stylised flowers actually appear quite frequently in heraldry. The most familiar is the fleur-de-lys, the symbol of the kings of France, which can be drawn in many different ways (one authority states that there are more than 40 styles). In the arms of the Cape of Good Hope Colony they are used to symbolise the French refugees (often called Huguenots) who settled at the Cape under Dutch rule.

Another stylised flower that crops up in heraldry is the cinquefoil – or formally drawn five-petalled flower – which can be seen in the arms of the City and University of Port Elizabeth, while the quatrefoil – a four-petalled flower – is found in the arms of Newton Technical High School.

And getting away from plants traditionally regarded as bearing flowers, the bulrush appears in the crest of Port Elizabeth’s Westering High and Primary schools.