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The state flower of Maine is the cone and tassel of the eastern white pine, chosen through a public vote in 1895. The eastern white pine is also the state tree and an important part of the lumber industry. It grows in the eastern forests of North America and provides food and nesting spaces for wildlife.
The state flower of Maine is the only state floral emblem that is not actually a flower. It is the cone and tassel of the eastern white pine. “Tassel” refers to a cluster of needles growing on the same small branch of a conifer.
State flowers were first proposed at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where a “National Garland of Flowers” was discussed. Efforts promptly began in many states to name a state flower. Three items have been nominated for the Maine state flower: an apple blossom, a goldenrod, a pine cone, and a tassel.
A public vote was held via printed ballots in local newspapers and the winner was the pine cone and tassel. In February 1895, the cone and tassel of the eastern white pine were adopted as the state flower of Maine. This was an especially fitting choice as Maine was already known as the Pine Cone State. In 1945 the Eastern White Pine was adopted as the state tree of Maine, meaning that the same species is both the state tree and state flower of Maine.
The eastern white pine is Pinus strobus, also called northern white pine, white pine, northern pine, soft pine and Weymouth pine. It is the tallest conifer in the eastern forests of North America and is found in the Eastern and Maritime provinces of Canada and New England, in the Mid-Atlantic region, south along the Appalachians to northern Georgia and west through Kentucky and Tennessee. The tree also grows in the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Since early colonial times, eastern white pine has been an important part of the lumber industry in the eastern United States and Canada. The wood is light in weight, easy to work with, durable, and takes paints, stains, and finishes well. It is suitable for use in many roles including interior wood trim, cabinets, paneling, wooden toys and furniture
Left undisturbed, the tree can reach a maximum height of 150 feet (46 m) with a trunk diameter of 42 inches (102 cm). The soft, bluish-green needles grow in groups of five. Several sets of these needles on a twig and one of the 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) cones are used to represent the state flower of Maine. In addition to being logged, Eastern White Pine is used in reclamation projects to stabilize disturbed soil. Eastern white pine provides food for many species of songbirds, small mammals, and deer, while tall specimens provide nesting spaces for large birds such as the bald eagle.
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