State Trees and State Flowers

All About Flowers

Each of the 50 states and several U.S. territories have designated an official tree and flower. All of the state trees, except the Hawaii state tree, are native to the state in which they are designated. Many of the state flowers are from other parts of the world and were chosen because of their beauty or importance, not because they represent the natural flora of the state they represent. Some of the Latin names you see here may be different from those you may have seen before due to changes in plant nomenclature; we have chosen to list the current valid botanical name. Where more than one accepted common name exists, the common name in the legislation has been listed. 
 
State Type Name Latin Name Year of Legislation
Alabama Tree longleaf pine Pinus palustis 1997
  Flower camelia Camellia japonica 1959/1999
Alaska Tree Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis 1962
  Flower forget-me-not Myosotis alpestris subsp. asiatica 1917
Arizona Tree palo verde Parkinsonia florida  
  Flower saguaro cactus blossom Carnegia gigantea 1931
Arkansas Tree lobolly pine Pinus taeda 1939
  Flower apple blossom Malus domestica 1901
California Tree California redwood Sequoia giganteum* 1937/1953
      Sequoia sempervirens*  
  Flower California poppy Eschscholzia californica 1903
Colorado Tree Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens 1939
  Flower Rocky Mountain columbine Aquilegia caerulea 1899
Connecticut Tree white oak Quercus alba 1947
  Flower mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia 1907
District of Columbia Tree scarlet oak Quercus coccinea  
  Flower American Beauty rose Rosa 'American Beauty'  
Delaware Tree American holly Ilex opaca 1939
  Flower peach blossom Prunus persica 1895
Florida Tree sabal palm Sabal palmetto 1953
  Flower orange blossom Citrus sinensis 1909
Georgia Tree live oak Quercus virginiana 1937
  Flower Cherokee rose Rosa laevigata 1916
Guam Tree ifil or ifit Intsia bijuga  
  Flower puti tai nobiu Bougainvillea spectabilis  
Hawaii Tree kukui or candlenut Aleurites moluccana 1959
  Flower pua aloalo Hibiscus brackenridgei 1988
Idaho Tree western white pine Pinus monticola 1935
  Flower syringa mock orange Philadelphus lewisii 1931
Illinois Tree white oak Quercus alba 1973
  Flower purple violet Viola**** 1908
Indiana Tree tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera 1931
  Flower peony Paeonia lactiflora 1957
Iowa  Tree oak  Quercus**  1961 
  Flower wild prairie rose  Rosa suffulta  1897 
Kansas  Tree cottonwood  Populus deltoides 1937 
  Flower sunflower  Helianthus annuus 1903 
Kentucky  Tree tulip poplar  Liriodendron tulipifera 1994 
  Flower goldenrod  Solidago canadensis var. scabra 1926 
Louisiana  Tree bald cypress  Taxodium distichum 1963 
  Flower magnolia  Magnolia grandiflora 1900 
Maine  Tree eastern white pine  Pinus strobus 1945 
  Flower eastern white pine tassel and cone  Pinus strobus 1895 
Maryland  Tree white oak  Quercus alba 1941
  Flower black-eyed Susan  Rudbeckia hirta 1918 
Massachusetts  Tree American elm  Ulmus americana 1941 
  Flower mayflower  Epigaea repens 1918 
Michigan  Tree eastern white pine  Pinus strobus 1955 
  Flower apple blossom  Malus domestica 1897 
Minnesota  Tree red pine  Pinus resinosa 1945 
  Flower pink and white ladyslipper  Cypripedium reginae 1893 
Mississippi  Tree magnolia Magnolia*** 1938 
  Flower magnolia  Magnolia grandiflora  1952 
Missouri  Tree flowering dogwood  Cornus florida 1955 
  Flower hawthorn  Crataegus**** 1923 
Montana  Tree ponderosa pine  Pinus ponderosa 1949 
  Flower bitterroot  Lewisia rediviva 1895 
Nebraska  Tree cottonwood  Populus deltoides 1972 
  Flower goldenrod  Solidago gigantea 1895 
Nevada  Tree singleleaf pinyon  Pinus monophylla 1953 
  Flower sagebrush  Artemisia tridentata 1917 
New Hampshire  Tree white birch  Betula papyrifera 1947 
  Flower purple lilac  Syringa vulgaris 1919 
New Jersey  Tree northern red oak  Quercus rubra 1950 
  Flower violet  Viola sororia 1971 
 New Mexico Tree pinyon  Pinus edulis 1949 
  Flower yucca  Yucca glauca 1927 
New York  Tree sugar maple  Acer saccharum 1956 
  Flower rose  Rosa 1955 
North Carolina  Tree longleaf pine  Pinus palustris 1963 
  Flower American dogwood  Cornus florida 1941 
North Dakota  Tree American elm  Ulmus americana 1947 
  Flower wild prairie rose  Rosa arkansana 1907 
Northern Marianas  Tree flame tree  Delonix regia  
  Flower plumeria  Plumeria rubra forma acutifolia  
 Ohio Tree buckeye  Aesculus glabra 1953 
  Flower scarlet carnation  Dianthus caryophyllus 1904 
Oklahoma  Tree redbud  Cercis canadensis 1937 
  Flower mistletoe  Phoradendron leucarpum 1893 
Oregon  Tree Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii 1939 
  Flower  Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium 1899 
Pennsylvania  Tree eastern hemlock  Tsuga canadensis 1931 
  Flower mountain laurel  Kalmia latifolia 1933 
Puerto Rico  Tree silk-cotton tree  Ceiba pentandra  
  Flower puerto rico hibiscus  Montezuma speciosissima  
Rhode Island  Tree red maple  Acer rubrum 1964 
  Flower violet  Viola palmata  1968 
South Carolina  Tree palmetto  Sabal palmetto 1939 
  Flower yellow jessamine  Gelsemium sempervirens 1924 
South Dakota  Tree Black Hills spruce Picea glauca 1947 
  Flower pasque flower  Anemone patens var. multifida 1903 
Tennessee  Tree tulip poplar  Liriodendron tulipifera 1947 
  Flower iris  Iris germanica 1933 
Texas  Tree pecan  Carya illinoinensis 1947 
  Flower Texas bluebonnet  Lupinus spp. 1901 
Utah  Tree blue spruce  Picea pungens 1933 
  Flower sego lily  Calochortus 1911 
Vermont  Tree sugar maple  Acer saccharum 1949 
  Flower red clover Trifolium pratense 1895 
Virginia  Tree flowering dogwood Cornus florida 1956 
  Flower flowering dogwood Cornus florida 1918 
Washington  Tree western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla 1947 
  Flower coast rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum 1892 
West Virginia  Tree sugar maple Acer saccharum 1949 
  Flower rhododendron Rhododendron maximum 1903
 Wisconsin Tree sugar maple Acer saccharum 1949
  Flower wood violet Viola sororia 1949
 Wyoming Tree plains cottonwood Poplus deltoides subsp. monilifera 1947
  Flower Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia 1917

     * California has designated two distinct species as its state tree.
    ** Although Iowa did not designate a specific species of oak as its state tree, many people recognize bur oak, Quercus macrocarpa, as the state tree since it is the most widespread species in the state.
  *** Although no specific species of magnolia was designated as the state tree of Mississippi, most references recognize
the Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, as the state tree.
**** In Illinois, Missouri, and Texas, multiple species fit the legislated name of the state flower.

Source: U.S. National Arboretum

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