U.S.A. - California - State Flower (2)

CALIFORNIA STATE FLOWER
THE GOLDEN POPPY
In 1903, the California Poppy (Eschscholiza Californica),became the official flower of the state of California.

Sent by Francis from Portland, USA.  Terima kasih banyak-banyak (thank you very much) for many beautiful stamps.

U.S.A. - Wyoming - State Flower

THE INDIAN PAINTBRUSH, Wyoming's State Flower grows wild in the natural setting of the state's prairie and foothill regions.  Red is the predominant color, but shades of yellow and orange are also common.  This wild flower, growing amid sagebrush and cactus, adds great beauty to Wyoming's springtime landscape.

Sent by Camellia from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.

Indian paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia) was designated the state flower of Wyoming in 1917. Also called prairie fire, Indian paintbrush is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes (as well as northeast Asia).

The species of Indian paintbrush adopted as a symbol of Wyoming (Castilleja linariaefolia) occurs on rocky slopes and arid plains and is associated with sagebrush scrub and pinyon pine or juniper woodland. It is native to Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. (read further)

U.S.A. - Idaho - State Flower

IDAHO
A Syringa bush grows along a bank of the Salmon River in Idaho. The Syringa is Idaho's state flower.

Sent by Tracy from Boise, Idaho.

The Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii) was designated the official state flower of Idaho in 1931. Syringa is a woody shrub growing to nine feet tall with with clusters of white, fragrant flowers.

Native American Indians found many uses for the syringa - the wood was used for root digging sticks and to make pipe stems, harpoon shafts, bows, arrows, and snowshoes. The bark and leaves were used to make a soap. (Source)

U.S.A. - Kansas - State Flower (2)

SUNFLOWERS - KANSAS STATE FLOWER

Sent by Shirley from Topeka, Kansas, USA.

U.S.A. - North Dakota - State Flower & State Bird

NORTH DAKOTA
The Peace Garden State

State Flower : Wild Prairie Rose, selected March 7, 1907.
State Bird : Western Meadow Lark, selected March 10, 1947.

Sent by Amy from Bismarck, North Dakota, USA.

USA - New Jersey - State Flower

NEW JERSEY'S STATE FLOWER
Common Meadow Violet
(Viola sororia)

With its official status uncertain for over 50 years, the Violet was designated as the state flower in 1971 with strong support from garden clubs across the state. This plant is in bloom from March to June with purple or violet petals.

Sent by Megan, a postcrosser from Missori, USA.

The state flower of New Jersey was originally designated as such by a resolution of the Legislature in 1913. Unfortunately the force of resolution ended with the start of the 1914 legislative session, leaving the violet with uncertain status for the next fifty years. In 1963 an attempt was made to have the Legislature "officially" designate the violet as the state flower, but the legislation apparently failed. In 1971, at the urging of New Jersey's garden clubs, legislation more specifically designating the Common Meadow Violet (Viola sororia) as the state flower was enacted. (Source)

USA - Hawaii - State Flower

Red Hibiscus, the Hawaii State Flower.

Sent by Becky from Hawaii, USA.

The hibiscus, all colors and varieties, was the official Territorial Flower, adopted in the early 1920s. At statehood in 1959, the first state legislature adopted many of Hawaii's symbols as part of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS, state laws). It wasn't until 1988, however, that the yellow hibiscus which is native to the islands was selected to represent Hawaii. For this reason, you will see many older photos and postcards with the red hibiscus, or any other color for that matter, as the state flower. These weren't incorrect at the time. (Source)

USA - Maryland - Flag & State Flower

MARYLAND 

The Black-Eyed Susans are the State Flower, and the Maryland flag has been recognized as the most beautiful flag of all 50 United States. 

Sent by Arnold from Texas, USA.

 

USA - Minnesota - State Flower

Minnesota's Official State Flower
THE SHOWY LADYSLIPPER

Sent by Katie, a postcrosser from Minneapolis, USA. Katie and I share the same birthdate :)

"The pink and white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium reginae), also knows as the showy lady’s slipper or queen’s lady slipper, was adopted as the state flower in 1902. Found living in open fens, bogs, swamps, and damp woods where there is plenty of light, lady's slippers grow slowly, taking up to 16 years to produce their first flowers. They bloom in late June or early July. The plants live for up to 50 years and grow four feet tall. A century ago, the showy lady’s slipper was a favorite adornment in rural church altars during the summer. Since 1925 this rare wildflower has been protected by state law (it is illegal to pick the flowers or to uproot or unearth the plants). Specimens like the one pictured here are difficult to find, but with some effort can be found on the bog at Beckman Lake in Isanti County."(Source)

USA - North Carolina - State Bird & State Flower

The Cardinal and Dogwood Blossom provide a colorful complementary contrast as the official bird and flower of this marvelous friendly state.

Sent by John from Tennessee, USA.

USA - Texas - State Flower (3)

BLUEBONNET
Official State Flower
Round Top, Texas.

Sent by Cate, a postcrosser from Texas, USA.

"Named for its color and, it is said, the resemblance of its petal to a woman's sunbonnet, the bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. It blooms in the early spring and can be readily found in fields and along the roadsides throughout central and south Texas. Scientifically named Lupinus texensis, the bluebonnet is also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and (by the Mexicans) el conejo. It was adopted as the official state flower by the Texas Legislature in 1901."(Source)

USA - Alaska - State Flower

Forget-Me-Nots
Mountain Forget-me-nots are found throughout Alaska. Forget-me-nots are the Alaska state flower.

Sent by Sarah, a WiP partner from Alaska, USA.

"Alaska's state flower is the alpine forget-me-not. It was chosen in 1949. The alpine forget-me-not is a perennial that grows 5 to 12 inches high in alpine meadows. The flowers have five connected salviform petals, colored sky blue, that are a quarter to a third of an inch wide. They have a white inner ring and a yellow center. The best time to see the alpine forget-me-not is midsummer, from late June to late July. In addition to finding the Myosotis alpestris, botanists in Denali National Park might also come across the mountain forget-me-not (Eritrichium aretiodes) and the splendid forget-me-not (Eritrichium splendens)."(Source)

USA - Oregon - State Bird & State Flower

OREGON
State Symbols
The Western Meadowlark was chosen as Oregon's state bird by Oregon's school children, who were polled by the Oregon Audubon Society in 1927. The Oregon Grape was designated as Oregon's state flower by the Oregon Legislature in 1899.

Sent by Nancy, a postcrosser from Oregon, USA.

USA - North Dakota - State Flower (2)

WILD PRAIRIE ROSE
North Dakota State Flower
The Wild Prairie Rose was named the official state flower of North Dakota on March 7, 1907.

Sent by Hazel, a WiP partner from North Dakota, USA.

"North Dakota designated the wild prairie rose (Rosa blanda or Rosa arkansana) as the official state flower in 1907. Found growing along North Dakota roadsides, in pastures, and in native meadows, the wild prairie rose has five bright pink petals with a cluster of yellow stamens in the center. Iowa also recognizes the wild prairie rose as state flower.

The rose has been around for about 35 million years and grows naturally throughout North America. The petals and rose hips are edible and have been used in medicines since ancient times.

Rose hips (the fruit of the rose which forms at base of the flower) are a nutritional treasure chest - rich in vitamins (C, E, and K), pectin, beta-carotene, and bio-flavinoids. These elements produce a strong antioxidant effect which protects and enhances the immune system. Rose hips improve blood cholesterol and pressure, digestive efficiency, and weight management (and are also a special winter treat for birds and wild animals)." (Source)

USA - Kansas - State Flower (1)

The state flower of Kansas is the Sunflower. This field is located in Northern Sedgwick county.

Sent by Melissa, a postcrosser from Kansas.

"Kansas recognized the sunflower as official state flower in 1903 (the sunflower is also featured on the Kansas state quarter, state flag, and the nickname for Kansas is "The Sunflower State)."

Excerpt from Kansas legislation:

Whereas, Kansas has a native wild flower common throughout her borders, hardy and conspicuous, of definite, unvarying and striking shape, easily sketched, moulded, and carved, having armorial capacities, ideally adapted for artistic reproduction, with its strong, distinct disk and its golden circle of clear glowing rays -- a flower that a child can draw on a slate, a woman can work in silk, or a man can carve on stone or fashion in clay; and

Whereas, This flower has to all Kansans a historic symbolism which speaks of frontier days, winding trails, pathless prairies, and is full of the life and glory of the past, the pride of the present, and richly emblematic of the majesty of a golden future, and is a flower which has given Kansas the world-wide name, "the sunflower state"...

Be it enacted ... that the helianthus or wild native sunflower is ... designated ... the state flower and floral emblem of the state of Kansas.

American Indians were using native sunflowers for food over 3,000 years ago. These wild sunflower seeds were only about 5 mm. long. Over hundreds of years and careful husbandry (selecting only the largest seeds for cultivation), the plains indians began the development of today's large modern sunflower, rich with oil.

Sunflower heads consist of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers joined together by a receptacle base. The large petals around the edge of a head are actually individual ray flowers, which do not develop into seed.

There are more than 60 species of sunflowers. The Native Sunflower grows to 15 feet tall with flower heads up to 2 feet in diameter, and can produce over 1,000 seeds from one plant. The flower head turns and faces the sun throughout the day - tracking the sun's movement. Sunflower seeds are rich in protein and yield a high-quality vegetable oil."

USA - Virginia - State Flower

VIRGINIA
Dogwood - State Flower
The American dogwood is well distributed throughout the Commonwealth, and its beauty is symbolic of the many attractive features of Virginia, thus it was chosen as the official state flower. The dogwood blooms in early spring and its blossom is a tiny cluster of flowers surrounded by four white leaves that look like petals. No tree says "Southern" better than the flowering dogwood.

Sent by Mads, a postcrosser from Washinton D.C., USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood, syn. Benthamidia florida (L.) Spach) is a species of dogwood native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southern Ontario and eastern Kansas, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas and also in Illinois, with a disjunct population in eastern Mexico in Nuevo León and Veracruz.

Flowering dogwood is a small deciduous tree growing to 10 m (33 ft) high, often wider than it is tall when mature, with a trunk diameter of up to 30 cm (1 ft). A 10-year-old tree will stand about 5 m (16 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, simple, ovate, 6–13 cm long and 4–6 cm broad, with an apparently entire margin (actually very finely toothed, under a lens); they turn a rich red-brown in fall.

The flowers are individually small and inconspicuous, with four greenish-yellow petals 4 mm long. Around 20 flowers are produced in a dense, rounded, umbel-shaped inflorescence, or flower-head, 1–2 cm in diameter. The flower-head is surrounded by four conspicuous large white, pink or red "petals" (actually bracts), each bract 3 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, rounded, and often with a distinct notch at the apex. The flowers are bisexual.

While most of the wild trees have white bracts, some selected cultivars of this tree also have pink bracts, some even almost a true red. They typically flower in early April in the southern part of their range, to late April or early May in northern and high altitude areas. The similar Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa), native to Asia, flowers about a month later.

The fruit is a cluster of two to ten drupes, each 10–15 mm long and about 8 mm wide, which ripen in the late summer and the early fall to a bright red, or occasionally yellow with a rosy blush. They are an important food source for dozens of species of birds, which then distribute the seeds.

USA - Minnesota - State Flower & State Bird

MINNESOTA
State Bird : Common Loon
State Flowers : Showy Lady's Slipper

Sent by Nadezhda, a postcrosser from Belarus.

USA - Mississippi - State Flower

Mississippi
The Magnolia State.

Sent by Jennifer, a postcrosser from Georgia, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.

Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Fossilised specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating to 95 million years ago[citation needed]. Another primitive aspect of Magnolias is their lack of distinct sepals or petals.

The natural range of Magnolia species is a disjunct distribution, with a main center in east and southeast Asia and a secondary center in eastern North America, Central America, the West Indies, and some species in South America.

USA - Michigan - State Flower

APPLE BLOSSOMS - The delicate color and delightful fragrance of the lovely Michigan State Flower is a springtime pleasure. Michigan is one of the nation's leading producers of non-citrus fruit.

Sent by Lisa, a postcrosser from Michigan.

USA - West Virginia - State Flower

THE GREAT RHODODENDRON
(Rhododendron maximum)
The state flower of West Virginia was selected by the legislature January 29, 1903 after a vote by public school students across the state.

Sent by Julie, a Facebook friend from West Virginia.

This is from Wikipedia : Rhododendron maximum, also called Great Rhododendron, Great Laurel, Rose Bay, American Rhododendron or Big Rhododendron, is a species of Rhododendron native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia south to northern Alabama.

R. maximum is an evergreen shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft), rarely 10 m (33 ft), tall. The leaves are 9-19 cm (3-8 in) long and 2-4 cm (0.75-1.5 in) broad. The flowers are 2.5-3 cm (1 in) diameter, white, pink or pale purple, often with small greenish-yellow spots. The fruit is a dry capsule 15-20 mm (.60-.79 in) long, containing numerous small seeds. The leaves can be poisonous. Leaves are sclerophyllous, simple, alternate, and oblong (10 to 30 cm long, 5 to 8 cm wide). It retains its waxy, deep-green leaves for up to 8 years, but once shed are slow to decompose. It produces large, showy, white to purple flowers each June.