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Flowers & Floral Emblems

The term floral emblem, which refers to flowers specifically, is primarily used in Australia and Canada. In the United States, the term state flower is more often used.

California Symbols

California State Flower

Golden Poppy

(Eschscholtzia californica)

Adopted in 1903.

The Golden Poppy, Eschscholtzia californica, became the state flower in 1903. Every year April 6 is California Poppy Day, and Governor Wilson proclaimed May 13-18, 1996, Poppy Week.

California Indians cherished the poppy as both a source of food and for oil extracted from the plant. Its botanical name, Eschsholtzia californica, was given by Adelbert Von Chamisso, a naturalist and member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, who dropped anchor in San Francisco in 1816 in a bay surrounded by hills of the golden flowers. Also sometimes known as the flame flower, la amapola, and copa de oro (cup of gold), the poppy grows wild throughout California.

Exerpt from:

California's Esteemed Golden Poppy

by Naomi Mathews (Lanao2@aol.com)

More than a hundred years ago on December 12, 1890, the California State Floral Society cast their votes to designate an official flower for California. The three flowers to be voted upon included the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the Mariposa lily (Calochortus), and the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri).

Only three persons voted for the Mariposa Lily, whereas no votes were cast for the Matilija Poppy (often called the giant poppy). Consequently, the California Poppy won the esteemed title of "Official California State Flower" by an overwhelming landslide. Research shows that the California Poppy had been first depicted more than 70 years earlier, and that it had a horticultural history of approximately 64 years. It seems very fitting to me that this state's official flower is golden in color. For who doesn't associate "gold" with California? And who doesn't recall the many tales that have been told--some true, others perhaps fable--about the great California Gold Rush! Then there is California's renown nickname of "The Golden State" -- making one think of sunshine and golden sandy beaches!

Plant: Fern-like leaves with single flowers on a long stalk
Flowers: Feb-Sep, 1-2" (2.5-5cm) across, with four wide fan-shaped petals, many stamens
Leaves: 3/4-4" (3-10cm) long divided into narrow segments on long stalks
Location: open areas, on grassy or sandy slopes
Range: southern California to southern Washington, east to Texas
It is possible to use this flower in landscaping for a temporary spring display by scattering the seed in the fall. Once established it will self seed. Some yards in Tucson are covered in a bright gold mass of these flowers each spring.

There seems to be some confusion about the scientific name for this flower, various texts list this flower as Eschscholtzia californica var mexicana or Eschscholtzia mexicana. They can't even agree on the spelling of Eschscholtzia, spelling it with and without a 't'. Eschscholtzia or Eschscholzia?

Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom	Plantae -- Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta -- Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons
Subclass	Magnoliidae –
Order	Papaverales –
Family	Papaveraceae – Poppy family
Genus	Eschscholzia Cham. – California poppy
Species	Eschscholzia californica Cham. – California poppy
Subspecies	Eschscholzia californica Cham. ssp. mexicana (Greene) C. Clark – California poppy

State Flowers

Find images and a brief history of the flowers representing, usually by legislative action, the state symbols of each of the fifty states. Many of the state flowers are actually trees -- some states have chosen the same species as state tree and as state flower.

flow·er (flour)
n.
1.
a. It is the reproductive structure of many seed-bearing plants, typically having either specialized male or female organs or both male and female organs, like stamens and a pistil, enclosed in an outer envelope of petals and sepals. b. Such a structure having showy or colorful parts; a blossom.
2. A plant that is cultivated or cherished for its blossoms. 3. The condition or a time of having developed flowers: The violets were in full flower. 4. Something, such as an decoration or a figure of speech that resembles a flower in shape, fineness, or attractiveness.