Louisiana state symbols

How to read it

The magnolia is the oldest of the four, made the state flower in 1900; the Louisiana Secretary of State gives the reason as the number of magnolia trees growing across the state, and names the species as Magnolia grandiflora. The bald cypress followed in 1963. The bird law was first passed in 1958 and rewritten in 1966: since 27 July 1966 the official bird has been the brown pelican “as it presently appears on the seal”, where a pelican feeds its young. The motto is on the seal adopted in 1902 and on the ribbon of the state flag.

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Louisiana’s symbols and when each was adopted

State flower and state wildflower

Louisiana has two official flowers. The magnolia is the state flower; the Louisiana iris has been the official state wildflower since a separate law of 1990. The Secretary of State says the iris grows wild mainly in damp, marshy places in the coastal areas and for perhaps 160 km (100 miles) inland.

How the motto is written

The flag law writes the motto “Union, Justice and Confidence”. The state’s own website gives it as “Union, Justice, Confidence” for the seal and “Union Justice Confidence” for the flag’s banner.