Coast Rhododendron
(Rhododendron macrophyllum)
Adopted in 1892.
In 1892, before they had the right to
vote, Washington women selected the
coast rhododendron, Rhododendron
macrophyllum, as the state flower.
They wanted an official flower to enter
in a floral exhibit at the 1893 World's
Fair in Chicago. Six flowers were
considered, but the final decision was
narrowed to clover and the "rhodie," and
voting booths were set up for ladies
throughout the state. When the ballots
were counted, the rhododendron had been
chosen as the Washington state flower.
Exerpt from:
The
Evergreen State's Official "Coast
Rhododendron"
by
Naomi Mathews (Lanao2@aol.com)
More than a hundred years ago, the
Washington State Senate confirmed that
the "Coast Rhododendron" (Rhododendron
macrophyllum) would be the new floral
emblem for Washington state. One of my
required courses prior to graduation
from high school included Washington
State History. However, my mental
recollection fails me about whether we
learned much, if anything, about
Washington state's flowers. Having lived
in the beautiful state of Washington
most of my life, I decided to do some
research about how, when, and why this
gorgeous rhododendron was chosen for
this honor.
I invite you to accompany me on a
journey back in time to the year 1892,
before women even had the right to vote.
Delegates from each state had been
invited to attend the 1893 World's Fair
which was to be held in Chicago. It was
suggested that each state decorate their
booths with their official flower, if
they had one.
Since Washington had not yet selected an
official flower, voting booths were set
up throughout the state. (I found it
very interesting that this election was
open to women only, since they were not
allowed to vote in other elections.)
Some flowers that were suggested
included the dogwood, syringa,
gaillardia, Washington holly, wild rose,
and marguerite. Residents of Spokane,
Washington supported the stylized lily
(fleur-de-lis). The clover was suggested
by Mrs. Ella Higginson, who lived in
Bellingham and was the poet laureate of
Washington at that time. However, it was
Mrs. Alsora Hayner Fry who lauded the
Coast Rhododendron. Her love for its
outstanding floral beauty as well as its
evergreen leaves led her to nominate it
(in writing) to the editor of a
newspaper.
Following the distribution of the
ballots and completion of the voting
process, 53% of the 15,000 women who
voted favored the "coast rhododendron."
Thus, the new floral emblem for
Washington state was confirmed on
February 10, 1893. Fifty-six years later
on February 10, 1949, it was made
official by the state legislature. In
1959, that law was amended to define the
"native pink rhododendron" (R.
macrophyllum) as the official floral
emblem of Washington state.
RCW
1.20.030
State flower.
The native species, Rhododendron
macrophyllum, is hereby
designated as the official flower of
the state of Washington.
[1959 c 29 § 1; 1949 c 18 § 1; Rem.
Supp. 1949 § 10964-200.]
Taxonomic Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta –
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida –
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Dilleniidae – |
Order |
Ericales – |
Family |
Ericaceae – Heath family |
Genus |
Rhododendron L. –
rhododendron |
Species |
Rhododendron macrophyllum
D. Don ex G. Don – Pacific
rhododendron |
|