Rhode Island’s state flower is the common violet, specifically Viola palmata or Viola sororia. It was chosen by schoolchildren in 1897 but not officially adopted until 1968. The flower was introduced as a bill by Francis Sherman and passed in 1968. The flower is edible and can be found in different colors.
Rhode Island’s state flower is Viola sororia, the common violet. The small blue or purple flowers grow wild in the state as well as many other eastern states and can be found on roadsides and in wooded areas. There are many different species of common violet; sometimes, the flowers may be white instead of blue, and some have stems, while others don’t. Although the violet was selected as Rhode Island’s state flower in 1897, it wasn’t officially adopted into legislation until March 11, 1968.
In 1897, schoolchildren were given 10 flowers to choose from in a vote on which would be the best state flower. The rose and pansy were their second and third picks, respectively, while the violet was their first. However, the Rhode Island General Assembly did not officially adopt the flower at the time.
It wasn’t until a politician and teacher named Francis Sherman got involved that the common violet officially became the state flower of Rhode Island. Sherman introduced a bill in 1967 to make the violet the state flower, and it passed the following year. In the period between the schoolchildren’s choice and the passage of the Sherman bill, Wisconsin, Illinois and New Jersey officially adopted the common violet as their state flower. Rhode Island has become the latest US state to adopt an official floral emblem.
Because the common violet has so many different species, there is sometimes confusion about a state choosing an exact variety or just the general flower. In the official legislative document when the violet became the state flower of Rhode Island, it is written as Viola palmata. This species is also known as wood violet or early blue violet and blooms from April to May. Its leaves are multi-sectioned rather than heart-shaped. On March 13, 2001, State Senator Susan Sosnowski introduced a bill in the State Senate to change Viola palmata to Viola sororia as the official state flower of Rhode Island; passed in July 2001.
Although the most common purple species are blue or purple, rarer types can be white, yellow, or even green in color. In some areas, the vibrant flowers are sometimes considered weeds, as they often grow on lawns. Birds and rodents often eat violets. This state flower of Rhode Island is also edible for humans and the purple flowers can be coated in sugar and used as colorful and natural cake decorations.
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