Plantagenet

Plantagenet, the surname of some of the kings of England. The first king of the name was Henry II., and the last Richard III. It rose through Fulk, the first Earl of Anjou, being scourged in Jerusalem, with twigs of the broom which grew profusely there. He bore this as a penance, and called himself Plantagenet from the incident. The golden broom is the emblem of the family.