Arkansas’ State Flower – Apple Blossom

The Arkansas State Flower – Apple Blossom

According to the Arkansas Secretary of State:

The apple blossom was adopted as the Arkansas State Flower by the General Assembly of 1901. Apple blossoms have pink and/or white petals and green leaves. At one time Arkansas was a major apple producing state. The town of Lincoln in Washington County hosts the annual Arkansas Apple Festival.

Although apples were a major crop for Arkansas in the early 1900s, the state is no longer a major apple producer. According to the USDA, the top six apple producing states are: Washington (59%), New York (10%), Michigan (8%), Pennsylvania (5%), California (4%), and Virginia (3%) as of 2005.

Apple Blossoms - Photo by LegalAdmin/Flickr

Kids Cook Farm Fresh Food: Apples

Although apples have been eaten in europe and western asia since prehistoric times, they were not domesticated until about 2,500 years ago when the ancient Greeks discovered grafting. Today apples grow in temperate climates throughout the world. In the 1600s, the Pilgrims brought apples with them from England and established the first
orchards in North America.

A beloved american folk hero, Johnny Appleseed, introduced the apple to the rest of the United states. Born in 1774 as John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed was a knowledgeable horticulturist and is credited with propagating apple trees throughout the country. There are approximately 7,000 known varieties of apples, but only about 50 are grown commercially in the United States.

Most apple varieties are self-sterile, meaning they are unable to pollinate themselves and rely upon cross-pollination from bees. Crab apple trees are the best source of pollen for cross-pollination. Farmers plant a few crab apple trees in their orchards to pollinate the other “eating” apples.

Source: California Department of Education