flahr-names

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 06:44 PM 6/21/01 -0400, you wrote:
>It is interesting to note that back in 1863 the Union Navy anticipated this
>thread, purchasing for war service tugboats named "Iris", "Jonquil", and
>"Narcissus."
>
>There has never been a USS Buttercup, but in 1863 the Union Navy also
>purchased tugs and other ocean-going ships named "Acacia", "Althea",
>"Buckthorn", "Cactus", "Camelia", "Carnation", "Clover", "Cowslip",
>"Geranium", "Heliotrope", "Honeysuckle", "Hydrangea", "Jasmine", "Larkspur",
>"Lilac", "Marigold", "Oleander", "Poppy", "Primrose", "Sunflower", "Sweet
>Briar", and "Tulip".  Add to this the Mississippi River gunboat USS Paw Paw.
>
>        - Jim Landau (at the moment somewhat awash in nautical names)

The paw paw is not a flower, though; it's a native Appalachian fruit tree,
with a mushy pear-sized fruit.    Albany, Ohio (8 miles from Athens) has
the World's First (and presumably only) Paw-Paw Festival, featuring paw-paw
jams and jellies, smoothies, and bread (a bit like zucchini or banana
bread).  Good stuff, when sweetened!

_____________________________________________
Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm