What Is The State Flower Of Oklahoma?

The official flower of the state of Oklahoma is the Oklahoma rose. It was designated in 2004. The mistletoe is the official state floral emblem. It was adopted in 1893 (14 years before statehood) as the oldest state symbol of the state. The Indian blanket was adopted in 1986 as the designated state wildflower of the state. The Oklahoma rose is a hybrid tea rose that is dark red but turns nearly black velvet during the warm weather. The long pointed buds open into large fully double blooms with beautiful strong fragrant of sweet rose perfume. The Oklahoma rose is a variety of the rose flower, which is the national flower of the United States. Other states that have adopted the rose as the state flower include; the rose in New York, wild prairie rose in North Dakota, wild rose in Iowa, and the Cherokee rose in Georgia. The adoption of Oklahoma rose was surrounded by controversy as some people in the state suggested that the plant could not be the official state flower, as they believed it was not a native plant of the state.

Characteristics And Description

The Oklahoma rose is a variety of the hybrid tea rose, which is among the popular varieties of the rose in the world. The rose produces a single flower at the top of the stem unlike other roses that produce a bouquet of small blooms. This feature makes them visually appealing in a floral arrangement or as a stand-alone flower. The flower is thought to have originated from Europe in the mid-1800s before spreading around the world. It is resilient to cold temperature and can survive extreme winter. They repeatedly bloom from late spring to early fall, especially when cultivated under controlled environments such as greenhouses. They grow to about four feet and are planted 3 feet apart. Roses require at least six hours of sunlight daily to flourish and bloom successfully.

Cultivation

Roses are cultivated and transported across the world. Roses are used to show affection and are therefore on peak demand during holidays such as mother's day and valentine's day. About 250 million hybrid roses are purchased every Valentine's season. The flowers are cultivated for commercial purposes in controlled environments in flower producing zones.