California state symbols

How to read it

The bird, flower and tree are each in chapter 2 of the Government Code, sections 421 to 423. The California State Library dates the poppy, Eschscholzia californica, to 1903, the redwood to 1937 and the quail, Lophortyx californica, to 1931. The same section that names the poppy makes 6 April California Poppy Day. “Eureka” is Greek, and the State Library says it has been on the state seal since 1849, probably for the discovery of gold. It became the official motto in 1963 (Government Code § 420.5), after attempts in 1957 to make it “In God We Trust”. The official nickname, since 1968, is the Golden State. The Secretary of State’s California Roster gives the same years for all five, and the State Capitol Museum the same year for the nickname.

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California’s symbols and when each was adopted

Two trees count as the state redwood

The law names two species: Sequoia sempervirens, the coast redwood, and Sequoia gigantea, the giant sequoia; the section was last amended in 1953. The State Library notes that these are in fact two genera, and gives the giant sequoia’s current name, Sequoiadendron giganteum. Either tree is the state tree.

Valley quail or California quail

The law calls the bird the California valley quail. The State Library calls it the California quail, “also known as the valley quail”, and describes it by the curving black plume on top of its head.