Magnolia is named after a French botanist, Pierre Magnol.
Louisiana also has a state wildflower, the Louisiana iris.
Magnolia Street. Magnolia Mansion. Magnolia Elementary School. Since lawmakers chose the handsome blossom of the Magnolia tree as the Louisiana state flower in 1900, residents have added its name to streets, schools and places of interest throughout their state. Louisianans love to pay homage to a flower that is beautiful, stately and quintessentially southern.
The Louisiana state flower grows on the Magnolia tree, a perennial that can tower between 60-80 feet high and span 30-50 feet across. The hardwoods grow abundantly throughout the state and also flourish across the southeastern United States. Magnolias are both the state flower and state tree of Mississippi.
The Louisiana state flower is both showy and elegant. Their blossoms are made up of enormous waxy petals that provide a stark contrast to the tree’s shiny green foliage. Magnolia flowers range in color from cream to pink. They also give off a strong sweet perfume that many commercial businesses attempt to replicate in their products. In Louisiana, Magnolias begin to form flower buds in late March and early April. By mid April the flowers are in full bloom.
The Magnolia bloom is relatively short lived. In fact, it may only be pristine for several days. By autumn, Louisiana’s state flower has dried up and its petals have fallen. In its place forms an attractive red seed pod that is enjoyed by squirrels, rabbits, birds and even wild turkeys.
Magnolias trees have a history that far precedes their selection as the Louisiana state flower. Fossilized specimens of flowers from the Magnolia family date back 95 million years. The bark from one species of Magnolia has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since 1083 to fight dementia, heart disease and cancer.
Closer to home, President Andrew Jackson gave the tree some recognition during his tenure in office when he transplanted a Magnolia tree from his home state of Tennessee to the grounds of the White House in memory of his wife, Rachel.
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