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State Flower of Oklahoma
Flower: Mistletoe (Phoradendron Flavescens) and Indian Blanket (Gaillardia Pulchella)
The passion flower was a leading candidate in Oklahoma until it was announced that it already represented Arkansas. But Oklahomans stuck with their other favorite, mistletoe. It was reportedly chosen because it was once used to decorate a settler’s gravesite when no other flowers were available.
Some people objected that mistletoe is a parasite. Another objection was that mistletoe didn’t grow everywhere in Oklahoma. Since it grows on trees, one could hardly expect to find it on Oklahoma’s treeless plains! But Indians and settlers both gathered mistletoe for sale as Christmas decorations. In 1986, Oklahoma adopted Indian blanket as its state wildflower. But mistletoe remains not quite a state flower, but a unique symbol of Oklahoma nonetheless .