Washington State Flower: Coast Rhododendron

Adopted in 1892.

In 1892, before they had the right to vote, Washington women selected the coast rhododendron as the state flower. They wanted an official flower to enter in a floral exhibit at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Six flowers were considered, but the final decision was narrowed to clover and the "rhodie," and voting booths were set up for ladies throughout the state. When the ballots were counted, the rhododendron had been chosen as the Washington state flower.

Exerpt from

The Evergreen State's Official "Coast Rhododendron"
by Naomi Mathews (Lanao2@aol.com)

More than a hundred years ago, the Washington State Senate confirmed that the "Coast Rhododendron" (Rhododendron macrophyllum) would be the new floral emblem for Washington state. One of my required courses prior to graduation from high school included Washington State History. However, my mental recollection fails me about whether we learned much, if anything, about Washington state's flowers. Having lived in the beautiful state of Washington most of my life, I decided to do some research about how, when, and why this gorgeous rhododendron was chosen for this honor.

I invite you to accompany me on a journey back in time to the year 1892, before women even had the right to vote. Delegates from each state had been invited to attend the 1893 World's Fair which was to be held in Chicago. It was suggested that each state decorate their booths with their official flower, if they had one.

Since Washington had not yet selected an official flower, voting booths were set up throughout the state. (I found it very interesting that this election was open to women only, since they were not allowed to vote in other elections.) Some flowers that were suggested included the dogwood, syringa, gaillardia, Washington holly, wild rose, and marguerite. Residents of Spokane, Washington supported the stylized lily (fleur-de-lis). The clover was suggested by Mrs. Ella Higginson, who lived in Bellingham and was the poet laureate of Washington at that time. However, it was Mrs. Alsora Hayner Fry who lauded the Coast Rhododendron. Her love for its outstanding floral beauty as well as its
evergreen leaves led her to nominate it (in writing) to the editor of a newspaper.

Following the distribution of the ballots and completion of the voting process, 53% of the 15,000 women who voted favored the "coast rhododendron." Thus, the new floral emblem for Washington state was confirmed on February 10, 1893. Fifty-six years later on February 10, 1949, it was made official by the state legislature. In 1959, that law was amended to define the "native pink rhododendron" (R. macrophyllum) as the official floral emblem of Washington state.