Thursday, December 24, 2009

Hawaii State Tree

State Tree and Flower Chart | State Trees | State Tree Facts and Trivia

Each of the 50 states and several United States territories have designated an official tree and flower. Many of the state flowers are actually trees as well -- some states have chosen the same species as state tree and as state 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 states have designated a state wildflower, as a symbolic native species.

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.

Here's a quiz question for you: One state lists a state flower that is not a flower at all. Do you know which state that is? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.

State Type Common Name Latin Name Year of
Legislation
Alabama (AL) Tree longleaf pine Pinus palustris 1997
Flower camellia Camellia japonica 1959/1999
Alaska (AK) Tree Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis 1962
Flower forget-me-not Myosotis alpestris subsp. asiatica 1917
Arizona (AZ) Tree palo verde genus Parkinsonia 1954
Flower saguaro cactus blossom Carnegia gigantea 1931
Arkansas (AR) Tree pine genus Pinus 1939
Flower apple blossom Malus domestica 1901
California (CA) Tree coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens 1937/1953
giant sequoia Sequoia giganteum*
Flower California poppy Eschscholzia californica 1903
Colorado (CO) Tree blue spruce Picea pungens 1939
Flower Rocky Mountain columbine Aquilegia caerulea 1899
Connecticut (CT) Tree white oak Quercus alba 1947
Flower mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia 1907
Delaware (DE) Tree American holly Ilex opaca 1939
Flower peach blossom Prunus persica 1895
District of Columbia (DC) Tree scarlet oak Quercus coccinea
Flower American Beauty rose Rosa 'American Beauty'
Florida (FL) Tree cabbage palmetto Sabal palmetto 1953
Flower orange blossom Citrus sinensis 1909
Georgia (GA) Tree live oak Quercus virginiana 1937
Flower Cherokee rose Rosa laevigata 1916
Hawaii (HI) Tree candlenut tree, kukui Aleurites moluccana 1959
Flower pua aloalo Hibiscus brackenridgei 1988
Idaho (ID) Tree western white pine Pinus monticola 1935
Flower syringa mock orange Philadelphus lewisii 1931
Illinois (IL) Tree white oak Quercus alba 1973
Flower purple violet genus Viola 1908
Indiana (IN) Tree tulip poplar Liriodendron tulipifera 1931
Flower peony Paeonia lactiflora 1957
Iowa (IA) Tree oak genus Quercus 1961
Flower wild prairie rose Rosa arkansana 1897
Kansas (KS) Tree eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides 1937
Flower sunflower Helianthus annuus 1903
Kentucky (KY) Tree tulip poplar Liriodendron tulipifera 1994
Flower goldenrod Solidago canadensis var. scabra 1926
Louisiana (LA) Tree baldcypress Taxodium distichum 1963
Flower magnolia Magnolia grandiflora 1900
Maine (ME) Tree eastern white pine Pinus strobus 1945
Flower eastern white pine tassel and cone Pinus strobus 1895
Maryland (MD) Tree white oak Quercus alba 1941
Flower black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta 1918
Massachusetts (MA) Tree American elm Ulmus americana 1941
Flower mayflower Epigaea repens 1918
Michigan (MI) Tree eastern white pine Pinus strobus 1955
Flower apple blossom Malus domestica 1897
Minnesota (MN) Tree red pine Pinus resinosa 1945
Flower pink and white ladyslipper Cypripedium reginae 1893
Mississippi (MS) Tree magnolia genus Magnolia 1938
Flower magnolia Magnolia grandiflora 1952
Missouri (MO) Tree flowering dogwood Cornus florida 1955
Flower hawthorn genus Crataegus 1923
Montana (MT) Tree ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa 1949
Flower bitterroot Lewisia rediviva 1895
Nebraska (NE) Tree eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides 1972
Flower goldenrod Solidago gigantea 1895
Nevada (NV) Tree singleleaf pinyon pine Pinus monophylla 1953
Tree bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva* 1987
Flower sagebrush Artemisia tridentata 1917
New Hampshire (NH) Tree paper birch Betula papyrifera 1947
Flower purple lilac Syringa vulgaris 1919
New Jersey (NJ) Tree northern red oak Quercus rubra 1950
Flower violet Viola sororia 1971
New Mexico (NM) Tree pinyon pine Pinus edulis 1949
Flower yucca Yucca glauca 1927
New York (NY) Tree sugar maple Acer saccharum 1956
Flower rose genus Rosa 1955
North Carolina (NC) Tree longleaf pine Pinus palustris 1963
Flower flowering dogwood Cornus florida 1941
North Dakota (ND) Tree American elm Ulmus americana 1947
Flower wild prairie rose Rosa arkansana 1907
Ohio (OH) Tree Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra 1953
Flower scarlet carnation Dianthus caryophyllus 1904
Oklahoma (OK) Tree eastern redbud Cercis canadensis 1937
Flower mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum 1983
Oregon (OR) Tree Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii 1939
Flower Oregon grape Berberis aquifolium 1899
Pennsylvania (PA) Tree eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis 1931
Flower mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia 1933
Rhode Island (RI) Tree red maple Acer rubrum 1964
Flower violet Viola palmata 1968
South Carolina (SC) Tree cabbage palmetto Sabal palmetto 1939
Flower yellow jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens 1924
South Dakota (SD) Tree Black Hills spruce Picea glauca var. densata 1947
Flower pasque flower Anemone patens var. multifida 1903
Tennessee (TN) Tree tulip poplar Liriodendron tulipifera 1947
Flower iris Iris germanica 1933
Texas (TX) Tree pecan Carya illinoinensis 1919
Flower Texas bluebonnet genus Lupinus 1901
Utah (UT) Tree blue spruce Picea pungens 1933
Flower sego lily genus Calochortus 1911
Vermont (VT) Tree sugar maple Acer saccharum 1949
Flower red clover Trifolium pratense 1895
Virginia (VA) Tree flowering dogwood Cornus florida 1956
Flower flowering dogwood Cornus florida 1918
Washington (WA) Tree western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla 1947
Flower coast rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum 1892
West Virginia (WV) Tree sugar maple Acer saccharum 1949
Flower rhododendron Rhododendron maximum 1903
Wisconsin (WI) Tree sugar maple Acer saccharum 1949
Flower violet Viola sororia 1949
Wyoming (WY) Tree plains cottonwood Poplus deltoides subsp. monilifera 1947/1961
Flower Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia 1917
Guam Tree ifil or ifit Intsia bijuga
Flower puti tai nobiu Bougainvillea spectabilis
Northern Marianas Tree flame tree Delonix regia
Flower plumeria Plumeria rubra forma acutifolia
Puerto Rico Tree silk-cotton tree Ceiba pentandra
Flower Puerto Rico hibiscus Thespesia grandiflora
U.S. Virgin Islands Tree no official tree
Flower yellow trumpetbush Tecoma stans 1934


* In the National Grove of State Trees we have chosen to grow this species when two or more different species qualify as the state tree.

Answer: Maine designated the white pine cone and tassel as its state flower. The pine cone is the female structure that bears the seeds, and the tassel is a smaller cone-like structure that produces pollen. Botanically, both the cone and tassel are not considered flowers, but are known as strobili. You could accurately say that Maine is the only state to have an official state strobilus. If you thought Oklahoma was the right answer, you are nearly correct. Mistletoe is a plant and is not a flower. It is, however, a flowering plant and bears true flowers, even though they are not showy.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Shortest Day

December 21, where Sunrise is at 7:05am and Sunset is at 5:54pm My math works out to 10 hours 49 minutes long today. This is according to the State of Hawaii satellite weather bureau.