The name Plantagenet is derived from the common broom plant, known as "planta genista" in Latin.
The House of Plantagenet, also called the House of Anjou, or the First Angevin dynasty, was originally a noble family from France, which ruled the county of Anjou. The name was first associated with Geoffrey of Anjou, father of King Henry II of England, either because he wore a sprig of broom in his bonnet, or because he planted broom to improve his hunting covers.
