Nevada’s State Flower

Sagebrush is one of the most unusual state flowers. It’s not a plant you expect to see growing in a garden, an alpine meadow, or a forest glen. Rather, sagebrush carpets mile after mile of what many people regard as America’s biggest wasteland.

Yet few state flowers are as beloved as sagebrush. After all, many people regard Nevada as the most desolate of states. Nevada is certainly one of the driest states. It lies within the Great Basin, in a rain shadow created by California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

But the desert has its own beauty, and so does sagebrush. One sagebrush fan wrote, “Sagebrush . . . is the floral emblem of Nevada; a state aggressively proud of its desert wastelands. Sagebrush has its point of beauty, particularly when viewed in the haze of early morning.”

The presence of sagebrush is an indicator of soil fertility. Farmers know that alfalfa will likely flourish where sagebrush grows.

Birth of a Symbol

There was little fanfare when sagebrush was adopted as Nevada’s state emblem on March 17, 1917. Perhaps no one noticed because they had considered it the state flower all along. In 1929, two sprays of sagebrush were depicted on Nevada’s state flag. The flag design has changed since, but the sagebrush remains. On April 12, 1967, Nevada’s state emblem was redesignated the state flower. (The mountain bluebird was adopted at the same time.)

But an even greater honor has been given Nevada’s state flower. Nevada is nicknamed the Sage State, or Sagebrush State. How many states do you know that are nicknamed for plants, other than trees?

Image courtesy
of the Santalady

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