Page:National Geographic Magazine, vol 31 (1917).djvu/504

 life made especially for this Magazine by Mary E. Eaton, of the New York Botanical Garden.

In making their choices the legislatures, women's clubs, and school children of the several States were confronted in every instance by a plethora rather than a paucity of floral treasures from which to select a favorite, for the United States contains a much greater number of species of wild flowers than any equal area on the globe.

Nations have long honored particular flowers with heartiness and devotion—Ireland, the shamrock, that beautiful bit of green with which it is alleged St. Patrick demonstrated the doctrine of the Trinity; Scotland, the thistle, which pricked the foot of the Dane and awakened all Scotland with his cry of pain, saving her from the heel of the invader; and France, the lily, which Ruskin called the flower of chivalry (the iris, or blue flag).

Our series pictures every flower that has been chosen by legislative action or is regarded by common consent as the State flower. But in cases where different species of the same flower have been selected by several States, only one specimen is pictured (as the goldenrod, violet, rose, and rhododendron).

Some of the difficulties of making this collection
Some difficulty, however, has been experienced in the selection of the exact species to be portrayed. For instance, in the case of Minnesota, although the act of the legislature gives the name of the flower chosen as Cypripedium calceolus, the extract from the official year book of the State, furnished the National Geographic Society by the Secretary of State, gives six different species as representative of the State flower, among which is Cypripedium acaule, but among which Cypripedium calceolus does not appear.

Again, in the case of Nebraska, the act of the legislature choosing the goldenrod as the official flower designates Solidago serotina as the particular species. On the other hand, this species is not the most widely distributed in other States which have a preference for the goldenrod. It is believed that Solidago nemoralis is one of the most representative goldenrods, and one which would be probably the composite of preferences of all of the States having that flower, either officially or unofficially.

Colorado's legislature expressly names the “white and lavender columbine,” with no Latin name attached, as the State flower; yet today, through a later vote of the school children, the blue and white columbine is everywhere in Colorado recognized as the State flower.

The acts of the Arkansas and Michigan legislatures simply call for “the apple blossom.” The Illinois law refers to its preference only as “the native violet,” of which there are numerous species, while the Louisiana law names no species, but simply says “magnolia.” The Delaware law gives no scientific designation, but speaks only of “the peach blossom.”

The resolution of the Ohio legislature names the “scarlet carnation,” while in the Indiana law the only designation is “the carnation.” Remembering how many colors of carnation there are in existence today, the one chosen was left, in the case of Indiana, to the discretion of the artist.

The reader should note that the carnation pictured is really too deep a red for the State flower of Ohio, which has a brighter tone.

When the State of Kansas came to adopt the sunflower, the resolution of the legislature used the term “helianthus, or wild native sunflower.”

The resolution of the legislature of Texas sets forth that the State flower is “Lupinus subcarnosus, commonly known as the buffalo clover, or bluebonnet.” There appears to be so little difference between Lupinus subcarnosus and Lupinus texensis that no distinction whatever is made between them by the average Texan in plucking the State flower.

In the case of the South Dakota flower, while the artist portrays the species of pasque flower known as Pulsatilla patens, the South Dakota law designates the Anemone patens. The main difference between the two seems to be the matter of a name, since the pasque flower is the