Iris
Tennessee State Flower
The iris was recognized as the Tennessee State Flower in 1933. The purple iris is generally accepted as the floral emblem of the “Volunteer State,” though the legislature didn’t specify a particular color or species in its official naming. There was just one problem. In 1919 a five-member state commission entrusted school children to vote for an appropriate state flower. Their choice — the purple passion flower.
When garden clubs pressured the legislature to designate the iris in 1933, passion flower fans were quite unhappy. For forty years Tennessee was represented by two state flowers. In 1973 the General Assembly resolved the situation by honoring both flowers. The passion flower was named the state wildflower and the iris became the state cultivated flower.
In 2012 a second state wildflower was designated. The fuschia-colored Tennessee coneflower was once a federally listed endangered plant species. Thanks to committed conservancy efforts, the herbaceous perennial was literally brought back from the brink of extinction.
Iris Facts
Common Name: Iris
Scientific Name: Iris
Year Adopted: 1933
Peak Bloom: April to August
Tennessee State Flower Coloring Pages
Iris Coloring Page to Print or Color Online
USA Facts for Kids Shopping
Disclosure: Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, we will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Courtesies
Iris photograph by pixel2013
USA Facts for Kids Photo Credits
State Flower Coloring Pages created by SuperColoring.com
Super Coloring state flower coloring pages are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Tennessee Coneflower: No Longer Endangered
State Flower Coloring Pages
