Black-eyed Susan, a member of the sunflower family, is the state flower of Maryland despite controversy over its naming and not being native. It grows abundantly in Maryland and has medicinal uses.
Black-eyed Susan, a member of the sunflower family, is the state flower of Maryland. It was adopted in 1918 by the Maryland General Assembly as the state floral emblem despite a multitude of controversies surrounding her naming. While not a native flower of the state, it grows abundantly along roadsides and in fields in Maryland. The flowers bloom from spring to late fall, producing bright, vibrant yellow petals with a dark brown center.
While the state flower of Maryland is not native to that state, it is native to the United States. Black-eyed Susan comes from the Midwest, east of the Rocky Mountains. In 1896, the Maryland Agricultural College suggested adopting a floral emblem as the state flower of Maryland. A group of college women suggested the black-eyed Susan for her beautiful colors, which were also the colors of Lord Baltimore’s famous coat of arms. The controversy stemmed not only from the fact that black-eyed Susan was not a native flower, but also from the belief of many that it was not a flower at all, but a grass that had been transferred from the Midwestern states via hay seed and clover.
Despite opposition, the black-eyed Susan was adopted as the state flower of Maryland by an act of the General Assembly on April 18, 1918. The black-eyed Susan now seems like a natural fit, as its colors seem to complement the flag of the Maryland and its other state symbols. The state bird of Maryland is the Baltimore oriole, which is black and gold. The state bug is the Baltimore checkerboard and the state cat is the calico.
Rudbeckia hirta is the scientific name of black-eyed Susan. The state flower of Maryland grows to about 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 meters) tall, and the daisy-like flowers can be seen swaying in the wind along Maryland’s streets. Other common names include Brown Betty, Blackiehead, Gloriosa Daisy, Brown-eyed Susan, Golden Jerusalem, Yellow Daisy and Poorland Daisy.
Native Americans used the root and leaves of the black-eyed susan to combat common cold symptoms and viruses. The Ojibwa created a poultice from the plant to heal snakebites and open wounds. The Potawatomi and Menominee also used the roots as a diuretic. The juice extracted from the roots of the plant has also been used to treat earache.
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