Tennessee State Flower - Cultivated Iris
State Cultivated Flower
(genus Iris L.)
Adopted in 1933; 1973 Redesignated.
See also Tennessee State Wild Flower
The iris, genus Iris L., was
designated as the state cultivated
flower by the Legislature in 1933. While
there are several different colors among
the iris, the purple iris is commonly
accepted as the state flower.
In 1919, the General Assembly, by Senate Joint Resolution 13, provided
that a state flower be chosen by the
school children of Tennessee.
Accordingly, a vote was taken and the
passion flower was chosen. The January
26, 1919 issue of the Nashville Banner
listed some of their favorites: the
daisy, red clover, rose, water lily,
elder bloom, goldenrod, wild rose,
sunflower, and violet. The eventual
winner, the passion flower, wasn't even
mentioned! Although the passion flower
was adopted as Tennessee's state flower
in 1919, Tennessean's loyalty shifted.
Nashville, Tennessee became known as the
Iris City. Iris fans joined forces and
campaigned for the adoption of the iris
as the Tennessee State flower. In 1933,
however, the Legislature adopted Senate
Joint Resolution 53 designating the iris
as the "State Flower of Tennessee," but
failed to formally rescind the
designation of the passion flower as the
state flower. To eliminate this
confusion, in 1973 the 88th General
Assembly, by Chapter 16, designated the
passion flower the state wildflower and
the iris the state cultivated flower.
The iris, genus Iris, is an
herbaceous perennial of which there are
about 170 species, including several
North American varieties, the most
common of which is the Blue Flag. While
there are several different colors among
the iris, and the act naming the iris as
the state flower did not name a
particular color, by common acceptance
the purple iris is considered the state
flower.
The iris family is closely related to
the lily and amaryllis families,
differing from them in having three
stamens rather than six. The cultivated
irises (genus Iris ), freesias
(genus Freesia ), and gladioli
(genus Gladiolus ) show a wide
variety of colors in their large,
usually perfumed blossoms; they are
mostly hybrids of Old World species. The
many species of wild iris are most
common in temperate and sub arctic
regions of North America, where they are
often called flags, or blue flags.
The iris flower belongs to the
natural order Iridaceae of the class
Monocotyledons, which is characterized
by a petaloid six-parted perianth, an
inferior ovary and only three stamens
(the outer series), being thus
distinguished from the Amaryllidaceae
family, which has six stamens. They are
handsome showy-flowered plants, the
Greek name having been applied on
account of the hues of the flowers. True
irises (the genus Iris, containing more
than 200 species) grow from thick
underground stems called rhizomes.
Admired for their beauty since very
ancient times, irises were nevertheless
cultivated by the ancient Egyptians
primarily for these rhizomes, which were
used as a source of medicine and
perfumes, a practice brought to Europe
by the Greeks and continued until the
early part of the 20th century.
Rhizomatous irises are divided into
three groups - the bearded, the crested,
and the beardless. The designation
"bearded" derives from the fuzzy
caterpillar-like appendage that runs
down the center of each of the flower's
three drooping outer segments, or falls;
the three inner, more upright, segments
are called standards
Description
- Height x width: 4"-48"
depending on species
- Growth rate: moderate to
fast
- Foliage: narrow,
generally linear to lanceolate,
sheathing base, parallel-veined,
mostly basal in fans or from bulb
center
- Flowers: generally 1-6 on
stalks above leaves; 3 outer flower
segments (falls) often drooping
downwards (reflexed), sometimes with
a central "beard" of colored hairs
or ridge, often with a patch of
different color (signal); 3 inner
flower segments (standards) often
upright and narrow in some species;
standards and falls may be different
colors, most colors available
- Hardiness: zones 3 to 6 -
8 to 9
Iris Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta -- Seed
plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta --
Flowering plants |
Class |
Liliopsida –
Monocotyledons |
Subclass |
Liliidae – |
Order |
Liliales – |
Family |
Iridaceae – Iris family |
Genus |
Iris L. – iris |
Tennessee
State State Flower
- Wild
Passion Flower
State
Wildflower
(Passiflora incarnata)
Adopted in 1919; 1973 Redesignated
See also Tennessee State Cuivated Flower
In 1919, the General Assembly, by
Senate Joint Resolution 13, provided
that a state flower be chosen by the
school children of Tennessee.
Accordingly, a vote was taken and the
passion flower was chosen. The January
26, 1919 issue of the Nashville Banner
listed some of their favorites: the
daisy, red clover, rose, water lily,
elder bloom, goldenrod, wild rose,
sunflower, and violet. The eventual
winner, the passion flower, wasn't even
mentioned! Although the passion flower
was adopted as Tennessee's state flower
in 1919, Tennesseean's loyalty shifted.
Nashville, Tennessee became known as the
Iris City. Iris fans joined forces and
campaigned for the adoption of the iris
as the Tennessee State flower. In 1933,
however, the Legislature adopted Senate
Joint Resolution 53 designating the iris
as the "State Flower of Tennessee,"but
failed to formally rescind the
designation of the passion flower,
Passiflora incarnata, as the state
flower. To eliminate this confusion, in
1973 the 88th General Assembly, by
Chapter 16, designated the passion
flower the state wildflower and the iris
the state cultivated flower.
The passion flower (genus Passiflora)
received its name from early Christian
missionaries to South America, who saw
in the flower's various parts symbols of
the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
There are over 400 hundred species in
the genus Passiflora. Most are tender
evergreen tropical vines and most are
commonly called passion flowers.
Passiflora incarnata is an exception in
that it is deciduous, can survive winter
freezes and is commonly called maypop as
well as passion flower
The passion flower, genus Passiflora,
which grows wild in the southern part of
the United States and in South America,
is also commonly known as the maypop,
the wild apricot and the ocoee. The last
is the Indian name that has also been
applied to the Ocoee River and valley.
The Indians prized the ocoee as the most
abundant and beautiful of all their
flowers. The passion flower received its
name from the early Christian
missionaries to South America, who saw
in the various parts of the curiously
constructed flower symbols of the
Crucifixion - the three crosses, the
crown of thorns, nails and cords.
Passion Flower was first discovered
in Peru by a Spanish doctor named
Monardes in 1569 who documented the
indigenous uses and took it back to the
Old World where it quickly became a
favorite herb tea. Spanish conquerors of
Mexico and South America also learned
its use from the Aztec Indians and it
eventually became widely cultivated in
Europe. Since its discovery, Maracuja
has been widely used as a sedative,
antispasmodic and nerve tonic. Indians
throughout the South America use the leaf tea
as a sedative. When introduced into
Europe in the 1500's it was used as a
calming and sedative tea. It was
introduced in North American medicine in
the mid 1800's as a sedative through
native and slave use in the South as a
tea, as well as bruising the leaves for
headache, bruises and pain. In many
countries in Europe and in the U.S. and
Canada, the use of Passion Flower to
tranquilize and settle edgy nerves has
been documented for over 200 years. Its
long documented history in herbal
medicine has included its uses for
colic, diarrhea, dysentery,
dysmenorrhea, epilepsy, eruptions,
insomnia, morphinism, neuralgia,
neurosis, opthalmia, piles and spasm.
Passion Flower is widely employed by
herbalists and natural health
practitioners around the world today. It
is mostly employed as a sedative,
hypnotic (inducing sleep), nervine,
anti-spasmodic and pain reliever. In the
United States, P. incarnata is
the species most used to treat insomnia,
Parkinson's Disease, seizures and
convulsions, muscle cramps, hysteria,
high blood pressure, tetanus, shingles,
neuralgia, dysmenorrhea, menstrual
cramps and PMS, epilepsy, and as a pain
reliever in various conditions. In
Europe, it is employed for nervous
disorders, insomnia, spasms, neuralgia,
alcoholism, hyperactivity in children,
rapid heart beat, headaches, and as a
pain reliever and antispasmodic. In
South America, P. edulis is the
species most used as a sedative,
diuretic, antispasmodic, and
anthelmintic (expelling intestinal
worms) which is used to treat
convulsions, paralysis, alcoholism,
headaches, insomnia, colic in infants,
diarrhea, gripe, hysteria, neuralgia,
menopausal symptoms and hypertension. In
both South and North America as well as
in Europe, Maracuja is used topically
for skin disorders, inflammation,
hemorrhoids, and burns; having an
anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving
effects.
Passion Flower has been the subject
of much scientific research. After
almost 100 years of study the sedative,
antispasmodic and analgesic effects of
Maracuja have been firmly established in
science yet these effects have not been
correlated to any one chemical or group
of chemicals found in the plant. Passion
flower contains two major groups of
chemicals - glycosides and flavonoids as
well as alkaloids. When these chemicals
are isolated and tested individually
they have demonstrated the opposite
reactions for which the plant is
commonly used for and only when the two
are combined as a whole herb, do
researchers observe the plant's sedative
effect. The analgesic effects of Passion
Flower were first clinically documented
in 1897 while the sedative effects were
first recorded in 1904. Antispasmodic,
anxiolytic and hypertensive actions were
clinically validated in the early
1980's.
Passion Flower is classified as
"Generally Regarded as Safe" by the FDA,
is the subject of various European
monographs for medicinal plants and is
generally regarded as safe even for
children and infants. Herbalists usually
recommend six grams of the herb daily in
an infusion (tea).
Tennessee
Code Annotated
4-1-306. State wild flower.
The passion flower (passiflora
incarnata) is designated as the
state wild flower.
[Acts 1973, ch. 16, § 1; T.C.A., §
4-117.]
Passion Flower Taxonomic
Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta -- Seed
plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta --
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida --
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Dilleniidae – |
Order |
Violales – |
Family |
Passifloraceae –
Passion-flower family |
Genus |
Passiflora L. –
passionflower |
Species |
Passiflora incarnata
L. – purple passionflower |
|