STATE FLOWER
Connecticut's State Flower: Mountain Laurel
Connecticut named the mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) its official state flower in 1907, honoring an evergreen shrub whose glossy foliage and pink-white blooms are a familiar sight along New England woodland edges.
An Ornamental Relative of the Blueberry
Mountain laurel belongs to the same plant family as blueberries and rhododendrons, though it's grown almost entirely for its looks rather than any fruit. Its cup-shaped clusters of pink-to-white flowers open in late spring, and the evergreen foliage keeps the shrub attractive through the winter months as well.
QUICK FACT
Pennsylvania also claims mountain laurel as its state flower, making it one of only a few blooms shared between two states.
