Arkansas

The Story Behind the Apple Blossom

What if your state flower almost lost because of Adam and Eve? That was part of the debate in Arkansas. At the turn of the 20th century, Arkansas was one of the country's major apple-producing states. Orchards covered parts of the Ozark Plateau, and Arkansas apples were winning awards on the national stage. So when the state began looking for a flower to represent it, the apple blossom seemed like an obvious choice. Not everyone agreed. Some objected because of the apple's traditional association with Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But one Arkansas woman was determined to make sure the apple blossom won anyway. Her name was Love Barton.

This short video shares how the apple blossom became Arkansas's state flower and how Love Barton used newspaper articles, letters, and even bushels of polished apples to help make it happen.

Apple Blossom

Malus domestica

Apple blossoms appear in spring, opening from pink buds into delicate white or pink-tinged flowers.

A few things that make them special:

Bloom in clusters on apple trees each spring
Usually begin as deep pink buds before fading to pale pink or white
Have a sweet fragrance that attracts pollinators
It's like the old adage says, An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Today, apples aren't grown in Arkansas on anything close to the scale they once were.

But around the turn of the 20th century, the story was very different.

The Ozark Plateau was covered with orchards, and apples had become an important part of Arkansas's economy and identity.

Why It Became the State Flower

In the early 1900s, the Arkansas Floral Emblem Society began asking women's groups around the state which flower they believed should represent Arkansas.

There were plenty of possibilities.

Holly, honeysuckle, passionflower, cotton boll, and apple blossom were all considered.

The apple blossom had a strong argument in its favor. Apples were an important cash crop, and Arkansas growers had received national recognition, including awards at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

But the apple also came with some baggage.

Some people opposed it because Western Christian tradition had long associated the apple with the forbidden fruit in the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

Then Love Barton got involved.

Barton became one of the apple blossom's most enthusiastic advocates. She wrote to legislators, published newspaper articles, and campaigned throughout the state.

Then she decided to make her argument a little more tangible.

When the Arkansas General Assembly met in January 1901, Barton arranged for legislators to receive beautiful Arkansas apples, reportedly polished until they shone.

It was hard to argue that the apple wasn't part of Arkansas.

Her campaign worked.

On February 1, 1901, the apple blossom officially became the state flower of Arkansas.

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