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State Flowers of the United States
by Wendy Aiton
http://www.flowerwa.com
What do the Wisconsin, Illinois, Rhode Island and New
Jersey have in common? Aside from all being states in the
United States of America, they share another distinction -
that of having named the violet as their state flower.
1. One common spring flower represents four states. Can you
name the state flower of Wisconsin, New Jersey, Rhode
Island and Illinois?
Other states tried to be more distinctive by choosing a
single phylum of a particular species. Washington state,
for instance, has named the rhododendron as its state
flower. It was chosen by popular vote by the women of the
state in a statewide vote nearly thirty years before women
won the right to vote for their statesmen.
3. It's not unusual for a state to change its mind about
its official state flower, but one state holds the record
for being indecisive. Which state changed its state flower
no less than four times in the course of its history?
The violet isn't the only flower that has been chosen by
more than one state. The dainty apple blossom is the state
flower of both Arkansas and Michigan. It's one of four
fruit blossoms to be named official state flower. The
others are the peach blossom, official state flower of
Delawae, the orange blossom, the state flower of Florida,
and the Oregon grape, which represents Oregon.
Violet - and blue - are popular colors for state flowers.
The official state flowers include four that name violets,
as well as New Hampshire's purple lilac, and Tennesee's
iris.
6. While most states carefully chose flowers that have only
positive connotations, a few went their own way. Which
state is represented by a parasitic vine?
7. Speaking of plants that aren't technically 'flowers',
can you name two cacti that are currently state flowers
and the states they represent?
While some states protect their flowers with legislation,
Minnesota goes further than most. It's illegal to pick
the showy lady's slipper, which isn't that unusual. What is
different is the fact that in 1990, the governor of
Minnesota named an 81 mile length of highway 11 a
'wildflower route', and the state's highway department
resolved to only expand the road to the south to preserve
the plants on the northern side of the road.
The remaining state flowers are: Alabama, camellia; Alaska,
forget-me-not; Arizonia, saguaro cactus blossom; Arkansas,
apple blossom; California, golden poppy; Colorado, mountain
columbine; Connecticut, mountain laurel; Delaware, peach
blossom; Florida, orange blossom; Georgia, Cherokee rose;
Hawaii, red hibiscus; Idaho, syringa; Illinois, violet;
Indiana, peony; Iowa, wild rose; Kansas, sunflower;
Kentucky, goldenrod; Louisiana, magnolia; Maine, pine cone
and tassel; Maryland, black-eyed Susan; Massachusetts,
mayflower; Michigan, apple blossom; Minnesota,
lady-slipper; Mississippi, magnolia; Missouri, hawthorn;
Montana, bitterroot; Nebraska, goldenrod; Nevada,
sagebrush; New Hampshire, purple lilac; New Jersey, violet;
New Mexico, yucca; New York, rose; North Carolina, dogwood;
North Dakota, prairie rose; Ohio, red carnation; Oklahoma,
mistletoe; Oregon, Oregon grape; Pennsylvania, mountain
laurel; Rhode Island, violet; South Carolina, yellow
jasmine; South Dakota, pasqueflower; Tennessee, iris;
Texas, bluebonnet; Utah, sego lily; Vermont, red clover;
Virginia, dogwood; Washington, coast rhododendron; West
Virginia, rhododendron; Wisconsin, violet; Wyoming, Indian
paintbrush.
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