The Goldenrod (Solidago) is the rightful Alabama State Flower.

It was first designated the Alabama State Flower in 1927 the same day the Yellowhammer became the state bird. The Goldenrod has been used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, and it was a source of food for bees and butterflies. The goldenrod is also a source of pollen for our many native bee species which are declining in number. It’s also an important late season nectar source for the endangered Monarch butterfly! 

In addition to its beauty and usefulness, the goldenrod is an Alabama native plant that can be found in all 67 counties in the state.  In Fact we have 44 species of Goldenrods native Alabama!

Our current State Flower the Camelia (Camellia japonica) has no ties to Alabama in fact it’s an Asian species. The claimed reasoning for changing the state flower from goldenrod to camellia was “because goldenrod is a weed” only a few goldenrod species are known to be weedy and a species from Asia would be considered more of a weed to our native ecosystems of Alabama. 

Since 1892, there have been three unsuccessful attempts to designate another flower as the official state flower of Alabama: Camellia (1892), Azalea (1909), and Iris (1937).  

The group who pushed for the change also happened to benefit greatly from this change since they were one of the largest suppliers of camellias in Alabama. Our reasoning today is to not only give this title back to the rightful recipient but to also take pride in the species native to one of the most biodiverse states in the Country. There’s no monetary motive just pride in the great state of Alabama with our Yellowhammer and Goldenrod out “Yellow Flower”.