The state flower of Alabama is the beautiful camellia, named specifically the Camellia japonica within Alabama legislature.It has been the official state flower for the better part of the last century. It belongs to the family of Theaceae, and is a genus with over 80 species of shrubs and trees.Camellia flowers are described as plants that are similar to apple pie. Apple pie is universally loved, and that is how the people of Alabama came to love this flower. The camellia in itself comes in different forms and hybrids. One partial shade that is popularly seen in Alabama is pink. The state’s and the country’s growing interest with these blooms kept growing over time, and eventually it became the state flower of Alabama.It became a state symbol for Alabama, even though the flower is not even native to the state itself! This is rarely the case as the state wildflower is the oak leaf hydrangea, a plant native to the state. Another state symbol of Alabama is the state bird, which is the yellowhammer. The flower in itself is very easy to grow. They have glossy pink leaves that are very pleasing to looks at.Additionally, the plant itself is quite rugged, and does not have to make many adjustments to continue growing well in the harsh conditions of Alabama. Indeed, its affinity to the harsh weather can be linked to a name it has been given, the rose of the winter. This comes from the fact that camellias are generally planted during the beginning of winter, all the way to early spring. You can plant one for yourself! Make sure that the planting site that you choose has well drained soil. Planting the flower in the winter is not a must, provided that you give it the proper care and attention it requires. This involves giving the flower adequate water and nutritious soil to live in.The camellia comes in a range of different shades, ranging from red, pink, white, all the way to yellow. It also differs in sizes, with the diameter of the flower itself being 0.4-4.8 in (1-12 cm) in natural conditions. On average, a camellia flower can be seen to have anywhere from five to nine petals present on it.If you liked this article about Alabama’s state flower, why not learn interesting facts about Arkansas symbols and California state flag facts on Kidadl! It will make for a fun learning experience, full of facts and details you may have not seen before!Why is a camellia Alabama’s state flower?The camellia is a flower that is native to Asia. How did a flower that grew thousands of miles away become the state flower of Alabama?The story goes that groups of people discussed that the former state flower did not deserve to be the official state flower of Alabama and that is how they decided to change it to the camellia. However, the actual reason for this flower of camellia plants becoming so wildly adopted, eventually becoming Alabama’s official state flower is deeper. Camellias would be the source of color when everything else looked to be brown.Camellias bloom even during their dormancy, unlike other flowers which only bloom during the growing season. Camellias became a status of being wealthy and camellia growers that had Camellia japonica flowers in their gardens became equivalent to Rolex owners. Such was the power of this plant that was normally grown in Japan and China. The vice president of the Alabama Camellia Society described how camellia enthusiasts began to grow these flowers all over the state.The love for camellias only grew in the ’40s, and the push for camellias to become the official state flower was finally passed years later by a bill by the Alabama legislature. Growing camellias became more than just about the local camellia club, and the bill made the Camelia japonica the Alabama state flower.One of the reasons that Alabama took so well to this flower is its adaptability to the essential elements that are seen in the south of the United States of America. The conditions here allow only for cold hardy varieties of flowers to grow, and among them is this flower which blooms and thrives. It is not only an evident part of their history, but is synonymous to the identity of the state. The Alabama Camellia Society remains active to this day, and is a specialized group of the American Camellia Society.What flower did the camellia replace as the Alabama state flower?Camellia flowers were not the first official state flowers of Alabama.The first official state flower of Alabama was the goldenrod. The goldenrod has been falsely accused of causing seasonal hay fever. The goldenrod plant has golden spires that are very beautiful to look at!During September 1927, the goldenrod was made the Alabama state flower. Interestingly in the history of the state symbols of Alabama, the yellowhammer became the official state bird of Alabama on the same day.When did the camellia become Alabama’s state flower?The camellia, a flower cultivated in Asia and native to China, Japan, Taiwan and east Asian countries, became the official state flower of a state in America in 1959.The camellia was made the the official state flower in 1959, and the Camellia japonica took the title in 1999. The oak leaf hydrangea, which is the Hydrangea quercifolia Bartr became the official state wildflower. The town of Greenville in Butler County, often referred to as Camellia city, made camellias its state symbol.Greenville was also the home of John Patterson of the governing body Alabama Department. He was the one who pushed for these flowers to be made the official state flower, with the support of his Butler County raised wife.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked learning about Alabama’s state flower then why not take a look at basketball facts or Bible facts!
The state flower of Alabama is the beautiful camellia, named specifically the Camellia japonica within Alabama legislature.
