State Flowers
State Flower of Massachusetts
Flower: Mayflower (Epigaea Repens)
The mayflower, or trailing arbutus, was favored for adoption as Massachusetts’ state flower at least as early as 1893.
Some people claim the mayflower was named for the month of May. It may have been named for the ship that brought the pilgrims to Massachusetts’ shores. However, the Pilgrim’s ship, the Mayflower, was named after the hawthorn, which is called mayflower in England.
The mayflower was adopted as the state flower on May 1, 1918.