50 Flowers for 50 States

Earlier this week I decided to rough draft a project I’m considering turning into watercolors or more intricate digital prints: a map of the states with each of their state flowers. There’s some really beautiful plants on the list and I definitely want to play around with this idea some more. Most of these were doodles done in between class notes (whoops) and are a bit rougher than I want the end product to be but it was fun to do. My favorite flower on this list (other than my home state’s Pasque flower) would probably be Rocky Mountain Columbine, but there’s so many good ones on this list! Sego lily, wild rose, California poppy, saguaro cactus, magnolias, lupine, and so on. The most curious one in my opinion would probably be Maine’s choice of the White Pinecone and Tassel. What are your favorites? Any preferences of format for the final design?

The full list in alphabetical order: [State-Flower Name-Latin name]

Alabama Camellia Camellia Alaska Alpine Forget Me Not Myosotis alpestris Arizona Saguaro Cactus Blossom Carnegiea gigantea Arkansas Apple Blossom Pyrus coronaria California California Poppy Eschscholtzia californica Colorado Rocky Mountain Columbine Aquilegia caerules Connecticut Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia Delaware Peach Blossom Prunus persica Florida Orange Blossom Citrus sinensis Georgia Cherokee Rose Rosa laevigata Hawaii Pua Aloalo Hibiscus brackenridgei Idaho Syringa Philadelphus lewisii Illinois Violet Violet Viola Indiana Peony Paeonia Iowa Wild Prairie Rose Rosa pratincola Kansas Wild Native Sunflower Helianthus annuus Kentucky Goldenrod Solidago gigantea Louisiana Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora Maine White pine cone and tassel Pinus strobus, linnaeus Maryland Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Massachusetts Trailing-Arbutus (Mayflower) Epigaea repens Michigan Apple Blossom Pyrus coronaria Minnesota Pink and white lady slipper Cypripedium reginae Mississippi Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora Missouri White Hawthorn Blossom Crataegus Montana Bitterroot Lewisia rediviva Nebraska Goldenrod Soldiago gigantea Nevada Sagebrush Artemisia tridentata New Hampshire Purple lilac Syringa vulgaris New Jersey Violet Viola sororia New Mexico Yucca flower Yucca glauca New York Rose Rosa North Carolina American Dogwood Cornus florida North Dakota Wild Prairie Rose Rosa arkansana Ohio Scarlet Carnation Dianthus caryophyllus Oklahoma Oklahoma Rose Rosa odorata Oregon Oregon Grape Berberis aquifolium Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Kalmia latiflolia Rhode Island Common Blue Violet Viola sororia South Carolina Yellow Jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens South Dakota Americana Pasque Pulsatilla hirsutissima Tennessee Iris Iridaceae Texas Bluebonnet Lupinus Utah Sego lily Calochortus gunnisonii Vermont Red Clover Trifolium pratense Virginia American Dogwood Cornus florida Washington Coast Rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum West Virginia Rhododendron Rhododendron maximum Wisconsin Wood Violet Viola papilionacea Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Castilleja linariaefolia