The state flower of North Carolina is the flowering dogwood, which blooms in spring and summer and bears red berries in fall and winter. It was chosen over the daisy as the state flower in 1941 due to its predominance in the state. The tree can grow up to 40 feet tall and is found throughout North Carolina, including in residential areas. It gets its name from its use in a medical wash for dogs with mange.
The state flower of North Carolina is Cornus florida, the American or flowering dogwood. This tree blooms in early spring and summer throughout North Carolina and the eastern United States. In fall and winter, flowering dogwood bears red berries, which are food for birds and small mammals such as beavers, squirrels, and mice. Cornus florida has distinctive flowers with a yellow-green flower cluster in the center surrounded by four heart-shaped bracts, which are leaves that look like petals. These bracts have textured lines and most are white although some are red or pink.
The first hint as to what the state flower of North Carolina should be was the daisy rather than the dogwood. The April 1917 issue of National Geographic magazine suggested the daisy was the state flower of North Carolina. Other publications and individuals supported the daisy idea, but when a bill was introduced in the state legislature, it was defeated. Virginia officially adopted the American dogwood as its state flower on March 6, 1918.
In the 1930s, politicians were again lobbied to try to get the legislature to approve a state flower, and the daisy was one of the choices along with Venus flytrap, goldenrod, azalea, and dogwood. The two main contenders were dogwood and azalea. Due to the predominance of flowering dogwood throughout North Carolina, the legislature has approved it. The dogwood became the official state flower of North Carolina on March 15, 1941.
Cornel and boxwood are other names for flowering dogwood. These dogwood trees can grow up to 40 feet (12 m) tall. Cornus florida is found both along the coastal regions of North Carolina and in mountainous areas. It’s also not uncommon to find American dogwood trees in the residential backyards of cities across the state like Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh.
Blooming profusely in spring and summer, this North Carolina state flower turns into gorgeous color in fall too with vivid reds and oranges. The shiny red berries that form in fall and winter also create a striking look for the tree. While the origin of the name “dogwood” isn’t known for certain, many people support the theory that the tree was named for one of its oldest uses, as an ingredient in a medical wash for dogs with mange.
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