Texas State Flower, Bluebonnet (Lupinus subcarnosus), from NETSTATE.COM

Perhaps inspired by the National Garland of Flowers of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Texas began the work of naming an official state flower in 1901. Historical records note three serious contenders for the position.

The open cotton boll was promoted by Legislator Phil Clement of Mills, Texas. Cotton was king in Texas in 1901 and he referred to his nomination as the "white rose of commerce." Though cotton was big business, the cotton boll as state flower didn't receive big support in the Legislature.

State Representative John Nance Garner of Uvalde would become Vice-President of the United States under Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932. But in 1901, he was promoting the flower of the prickly pear cactus as the best choice for the title of official state flower of Texas. He praised the hardy durability of the cactus and the "orchid-like" beauty of its flowers. John Nance Garner's nomination did not win the approval of the Texas Legislature, but his enthusiasm for the plant earned him the nickname of "Cactus Jack" which stayed with him his entire life.

John Green, of Cuero suggested the bluebonnet. His nomination was clarified by a group of Texas women.

The chapter of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Texas suggested that the bluebonnet would represent the State of Texas most appropriately as its official state flower. To punctuate their suggestion, they acquired a bluebonnet painting by Miss Mode Walker of Austin and presented it to the Legislature.

The bill designating the blue bonnet or buffalo clover (Lupinus subcarnosus) as the official state flower of Texas was approved by the Regular Session of the Twenty-seventh Legislature, convened at the City of Austin and was signed by Governor Joseph D. Sayers on March 7, 1901. On this day, a seventy-year debate over which species should really be the state flower of Texas began.

The debate centered on the species of bluebonnet chosen to represent the state. The Legislators that approved Lupinus subcarnosus as the official flower were not aware that several varieties of Lupinus grew in the state. The variety adopted grows in the sandy, rolling hills of coastal and southern Texas. It was not as common as other varieties and some thought that its small, dainty blossoms were not the most attractive.

The issue was debated for 70 years. Favorites emerged, among them the Lupinus texensis, common throughout central Texas and producing big, bold deep blue blossoms in the spring. The Legislature took their time.

When they finally did get around to addressing the issue in 1971, they did so by concurrent resolution, approved on March 8, 1971, to include Lupinus Texensis and, gun-shy, " any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded."

OFFICIAL STATE FLOWER

H. C. R. No. 44

WHEREAS, The Lupinus Texensis is considered the most beautiful species of bluebonnet and is to be found almost anywhere in the fields and along the highways of Texas; and

WHEREAS, Other varieties of bluebonnet also grow in the state, among them the Lupinus Subcarnosus, which was named State Flower of Texas by the 27th Legislature on March 7, 1901, at the request of the Colonial Dames in Texas; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Robert Ward Cutler, Texas Goodwill Ambassador by appointment of the Governor of Texas, with the cooperation of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Texas has asked this 62nd Legislature, 70 years after the bluebonnet was selected as official state flower, to include the Lupinus Texensis and any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded along with the Lupinus Subcarnosus for recognition as the official state flower of Texas; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of Texas, the Senate concurring, That the Lupinus Texensis and any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded be recognized along with the Lupinus Subearnosus as the official state flower of the State of Texas.

Adopted by the House on February 24, 1971; adopted by the Senate on March 1, 1971.

Filed with the Secretary of State, March 8, 1971.

Essentially, all bluebonnets found in Texas are now considered the official flower of the state. Ostensibly, this would also include the pink and white varieties found in the state and under development.

The bluebonnet is also known as buffalo clover, wolf flower and el conejo (Spanish for "the rabbit").

The Texas Statutes

The following information is excerpted from the Texas Statutes, Government Code, Title 11, Chapter 3101, Section 3101.008.

GOVERNMENT CODE.
TITLE 11. STATE SYMBOLS AND HONORS; PRESERVATION.
CHAPTER 3101.
SECTION 3101.008.

§ 3101.008. STATE FLOWER. The state flower is the bluebonnet.

Additional Information

Texas Bluebonnets - Texas Pride: by Jerry M. Parsons, Steve George, and Greg Grant: Texas Cooperative Extension (Posted on Texas A&M University System: Aggie Horticultural Network)

State Birds & Flowers 1000-pc Puzzle: Created at the request of The National Wildlife Federation this design is a beautiful and informative puzzle featuring every state bird perched on the appropriate state flower.

State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book by Annika Bernhard - 51 accurately detailed, copyright-free renderings include national bird (eagle) and flower (rose) plus 50 state birds and flowers.

Quilting Flowers of the States by Sue Harvey - A lovely 12-inch flower block for each of the 50 states. Techniques used are piecing, appliqué, paper-piecing and three-dimensional techniques.

Gardening Tools: Pruners, rakes, shovels, hoes, trowels, cultivators and tillers, greenhouses, yard carts and more.

State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: A Study based on historical documents giving the origin and significance of the state names, nicknames, mottoes, seals, flowers, birds, songs, and descriptive comments on the capitol buildings and on some of the leading state histories, Revised Edition - George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938 (Reprint Services Corp. 1971)

Source: Texas Statutes, (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/statutes.html), September 12, 2005
Source: Texas Legislature Online, (http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/), September 12, 2005
Source: Texas Bluebonnets - Texas Pride, (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/flowers/bluebonnet/bluebonnetstory.html), September 12, 2005
Source: State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide, Third Edition - Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer, Greenwood Press, 2002
Source: State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols: Revised Edition (Reprint)- George Earlie Shankle, Ph.D., The H.W. Wilson Company, 1938

Texas State Flower

Adoption of the Texas State Flower

The Texas Statutes

Additional Information