Indiana state symbols

How to read it

The bird is set by Indiana Code IC 1-2-8-1, which names “the Red Bird or Cardinal” and dates from an act of 1933. The tree and the flower share one section, IC 1-2-7-1: the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), also called yellow poplar or tulip poplar, from 1931, and the peony from 1957. The motto comes from a resolution of the General Assembly in 1937. The Indiana Historical Bureau gives the state’s nickname as “The Hoosier State”.

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Indiana’s symbols and when each was adopted

The peony replaced the zinnia

From 1931 to 1957 the state flower was the zinnia; the 1957 General Assembly replaced it with the peony. The Indiana Historical Bureau notes that the law names no particular variety or colour, so a peony of any colour is the state flower. For what peonies have meant in the language of flowers, see the peony.

Where the tulip tree shows up

The Indiana Historical Bureau and the Secretary of State both point out that the tulip tree’s leaf appears in the border of the state seal.

The same bird as Illinois and Kentucky

The cardinal is also the state bird of Illinois and Kentucky. The law gives its scientific name as Richmondena cardinalis cardinalis; the Indiana Department of Natural Resources calls it the northern cardinal and says it is the only red bird with a crest in the United States. The male is bright red and the female brown with a dull red crest, wings and tail. For the cardinal in folklore, see the cardinal’s symbolism.