What Is The State Flower of Delaware?

The peach blossom is the designated state flower of Delaware. It was adopted on March 9, 1895 as the state’s floral emblem; nearly a century after the state ratified the constitution as the first state to be admitted to the union. In 1953, it was adopted as the official state flower. The flower was adopted because there were more than 800,000 peach trees in the state at the time: more than any other cultivated plant. In 2009, Delaware adopted the peach pie as the designated state dessert. The peach blossom produce the peach fruits. Many of the trees in the state are cultivated in orchards for the production of fruits while some are grown in yards as ornamental plants.

Features Of The Peach Blossom

Peach blossoms bloom solitary or as paired flowers. The flower is between 1 and 1.5 inches in wide with 5 petals. Their colors vary from purplish to pink, to carmine. The ovary of the flower blossom is simple, perigynous, and enclosed within a hypanthium. Petals can either be large or small depending on the variety. Peach blossoms are self-pollinating plants.

Facts About The Peach Blossom

• The blooms of the peach blossom appear first before the leaves, a feature that is uncommon in plants.
• The flower was adopted as the floral emblem of Delaware in 1895 and the state flower in 1953.
• The pink peach blooms can be either large and attractive or quite small.
• The peach tree grows to a height of between 15 and 25 feet high and begin bearing fruits at 3 to 4 years.
• Peach trees can grow to between 15 and 25 feet in height and their leaves have serrated edges.
• Peach trees start bearing fruit at three to four years. Fruit production peaks at twelve years.
• The peach fruit is the official state fruit of Georgia and South Carolina. The former is nicknamed “the Peach State.”
• The US is the world's largest producer of peach fruits.
• The petals of the peach blossom are pink, making the flower one of the most auspicious flowers in the state.
• The plant is native to China. Chinese culture associates the peach blossom with a healthy and long life free from evil.