Perhaps no other state flower has as many names as Idaho’s. It is often called the mock orange for the resemblance of the flower and its scent to the orange blossom.
Much of the confusion stems from the fact that Syringa is also the scientific name for the lilac. It all started with herbalists, who placed Idaho’s state flower, the lilac, and jasmine in a group named Syringa.
The genus name Philadelphus does not represent Philadelphia. Rather, it recalls Ptolemy Philadelphus, an ancient Egyptian king. The species name Lewisii commemorates Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lewis discovered the plant during their historic trek.
An Early Bloomer
The syringa was adopted as Idaho’s state flower in 1931. However, some people claim it was the first state flower by common consent.
The syringa appears on Idaho’s state seal, which was adopted in 1890. The syringa also represented Idaho at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893.
Native Americans appreciated the syringa long before Idaho was a state. Bows and arrows were made out of the shrub’s stems. They used grubs to eat the tender pith, leaving a hollow stem that could be used as a pipe. Cradles for infants were woven out of syringa wood, and soap was made out of the leaves.
There has been a little criticism of Idaho’s state flower from southern Idaho, where it is not common. However, southern Idaho grows most of the potatoes that inspire the nickname Land of Famous Potatoes.
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