Chaeli Fletcher
| Muncie Star Press
Replacing the peony has been a debate for many years. Of Indiana’s symbols, it is the only one with no obvious historical significance to the state.
In fact, over the 200 years Indiana has been a state, we have only had one native official flower.
As one of the few states with non-native symbols, some feel that the peony doesn’t represent our home. Many groups also want the state flower to inspire Hoosiers to use more native plants.
The Indiana Native Plant Society wants butterfly milkweed to be the new state flower. Its bright orange-yellow flowers bloom across the state and offer food for pollinators. Milkweed is an important plant for Monarch butterflies, which we see during migration.
This is not the first time that Hoosiers have attempted to change the state flower.
In the 1990s, the INPS worked with the Indiana Academy of Science to create the State Flower Project. They partnered a group of experts with Indiana history students, and both chose the Fire Pink.
The Fire Pink is popular because it feeds our native ruby-throated hummingbirds. Despite their best efforts, they didn’t make it through the legislative process.
The peony is a cultivated flower originating from China, so how did we end up with it as a state flower?
Here is the basic timeline:
1913: We adopt the carnation (native to England) as our first official state flower.
1923: The native tulip tree replaces the carnation as state flower.
1931: The zinnia, which is from Mexico, replaces the tulip tree.
1957: The peony replaces the zinnia after some persuading from then-Rep. Laurence Baker.
Although it hasn’t worked out in the past, many groups are still pushing native alternatives. This is a difficult process because other Hoosiers want to keep the peony.
Baker’s son still advocates for the peony from his family’s farm in Kendallville.
Many Hoosiers like the Bakers hold sentimental value for the peony. It also has an interesting history: In Greek mythology, the peony was a medicine for labor pains. In China, the peony is a symbol of wealth and a popular wedding anniversary present.
Although it may not be native, the peony has found quite a home here in Indiana.
Since 2021, the Indiana Peony Festival has connected small businesses and flower enthusiasts. The flower is often found in gardens, Memorial Day decorations and state souvenirs. Dethroning the peony proves to be a difficult task, but change is never impossible.
Chaeli Fletcher is a stewardship technician for Red-Tail Land Conservancy.
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