STATE FLOWER
West Virginia's State Flower: Great Laurel (Rhododendron)
Chosen by public school students in 1903, the great laurel — better known as rhododendron — beat out honeysuckle and wild rose by a wide margin.
Chosen by a Vote of Schoolchildren
Rhododendron maximum, also called great laurel or rosebay rhododendron, is an evergreen shrub that can grow into a small tree, sometimes reaching 35 feet. Its white to pale pink blossoms appear in dense clusters after the current year's new leaves emerge, making them a familiar sight along the ravines and hillsides of the Appalachian Mountains. The plant beat out honeysuckle and wild rose by more than 15,000 votes in the schoolchildren's poll that led to its 1903 designation.
QUICK FACT
A sprig of the great laurel appears on West Virginia's state flag, encircling the state's coat of arms.
