The Official Flowers In Each US State

Each US state has an official state flower. These were carefully chosen to represent a state’s spirit and its people’s character. While some are endemic to each state, others have been imported from elsewhere. A flower does not have to be native to the land to be nominated, while most of these flowers have been growing in these areas since people can remember, some of the current state flowers did not even originate in the US. These are plants that were simply brought to the US, thrived well in the area, and were chosen as the state flower because they represent the spirit of the people living there.

The practice of choosing a flower to represent each state started in 1893 during the Chicago World Columbian Exposition. During the event, the group World’s Congress of Representative Women at the exposition’s “Women’s Building”, brought up the idea of creating a National Garland composed of flowers representing each state. Soon after the National Floral Emblem Society was created and each state went about the business of choosing a state flower.

How Are Flowers Chosen?

In 1985 the US Senate passed a resolution requesting the president of the United States to declare a national floral emblem. On November 20, 1986, in a ceremony held at the White House Rose Garden, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation making the rose the official US national flower.

During the ceremony, the President explained the decision explaining that the rose has been in existence in America for thousands of years based on fossil records. The American people have also held a special place in their hearts for roses, cultivated them in gardens, and shared these flowers with people they love. It is seen in American art, music, and depicted in literature he said. “It is a symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity."

Aside from a national flower the US also has a national tree. During the National Arbor Day Foundation, twenty-one candidates were nominated to be the country’s official tree. The oak tree came out the winner after tallying the votes and the results were announced during a tree-planting ceremony held in April 2001 in Washington DC. Four years later it was made official when a Congressional Legislation finally designated the oak tree as America’s national tree.

The Official Flowers In Each US State