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Belgium: Non-vexillological uses of the national colours

Last modified: 2003-12-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: flower | abutilon drapeau belge | movie | story of a flemish farm | vaughan williams |
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The Abutilon Belgian Flag flower

Several on-line catalogues for gardeners show a plant called Abutilon Drapeau Belge'(the name seems to be used only by French-speaking gardeners).

Abutilon Drapeau Belge was bred (I guess by Belgian horticulturists) from Abutilon megapotamicum Saint-Hilaire (often misspelled as megapotanicum), an evergreen shrub of the Malvaceae family, which was introduced in Europe from Brasil in 1864.
The plant is known in English as Chinese Lantern due to the shape of its flowers, and in French as Erable florifère [Flowering Maple] due to the shape of its leaves.

A. megapotamicum has red and yellow flowers. The 'Drapeau Belge' cultivar has red-yellow-black flowers, which fit the (erroneous) description of the national flag in the Belgian Constitution.

Ivan Sache, 2 December 2003


The movie 'Story of a Flemish Farm'

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was a noted composer of symphonies, choral music, songs, etc.. He also wrote a number of film scores, including 'Story of a Flemish farm'. It is available on the Marco Polo label, as:

8.223665 Vaughan Williams: 49th Parallel and other film scores (RTE Concert Orchestra, Dublin. Andrew Penny, conductor).

I believe the plot revolves around retrieving a lost flag. The following info from the Naxos website provides some clue:

Story of a Flemish Farm - Suite

02. The Flag Flutters In The Wind 02:45
03. Night By The Sea - Farewell To The Flag 02:20
04. Dawn In The Barn - The Parting Of The Lovers 05:36
05. In A Belgian Café 03:03
06. The Major Goes To Face His Fate 03:15
07. The Dead Man's Kit 04:37
08. The Wanderings Of The Flag 04:49

Jan Mertens, 29 May 2003