Missouri state symbols
Missouri’s state bird is the bluebird, its state flower the hawthorn blossom, its state tree the flowering dogwood and its motto “Salus populi suprema lex esto” (“The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law”).
How to read it
Chapter 10 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri names the native bluebird (Sialia sialis) as the state bird, the hawthorn (Crataegus) as the floral emblem and the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) as the arboreal emblem and official state tree. The Secretary of State dates the hawthorn to 16 March 1923, the bluebird to 30 March 1927 and the dogwood to 20 June 1955. The motto is on the scroll beneath the two grizzly bears of the Great Seal, which the General Assembly adopted on 11 January 1822, and the statute that describes the seal still spells it out.
Also searched as: missouri state bird, missouri state flower, missouri state motto, missouri state symbols, missouri state tree.
Missouri’s symbols and when each was adopted
| Symbol | Official choice | Adopted | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | Bluebird (Sialia sialis) | 1927 | RSMo 10.010 |
| Flower | Hawthorn blossom (Crataegus) | 1923 | RSMo 10.030 |
| Tree | Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) | 1955 | RSMo 10.040 |
| Motto | Salus populi suprema lex esto | 1822 | RSMo 10.060 (Great Seal) |
| Animal | Missouri mule | 1995 | Act of the General Assembly, 1995 |
Which hawthorn?
The law names no single species. It declares “the hawthorn”, the blossom of the tree called the red haw or wild haw, by its genus, Crataegus. The Secretary of State calls it the white hawthorn blossom and notes that more than 75 species of hawthorn grow in Missouri, particularly in the Ozarks.
Two mottoes on the seal
The Great Seal carries two phrases. “United we stand, divided we fall” is on the belt around the shield; the state motto, “Salus populi suprema lex esto”, is on the scroll below it, above the Roman numerals MDCCCXX for 1820.
Read next
- Next in US state symbolsArizona state symbolsArizona’s state bird is the cactus wren, its state flower the saguaro blossom, its state tree the palo verde and its motto “Ditat Deus” (“God enriches”).
- The same shape in Kitchenware symbolsDishwasher safeThe maker says the item can be washed in a dishwasher. There is no single official dishwasher safe symbol: each maker draws its own.
More US state symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Revised Statutes of Missouri, section 10.010 (state bird), Revised Statutes of Missouri § 10.010, Official state bird, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (Committee on Legislative Research), Section 10.010
- Revised Statutes of Missouri, section 10.030 (state floral emblem), Revised Statutes of Missouri § 10.030, State floral emblem, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (Committee on Legislative Research), Section 10.030
- Revised Statutes of Missouri, section 10.040 (state arboreal emblem), Revised Statutes of Missouri § 10.040, State arboreal emblem, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (Committee on Legislative Research), Section 10.040
- Revised Statutes of Missouri, section 10.060 (seal of state), Revised Statutes of Missouri § 10.060, Seal of state — device, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (Committee on Legislative Research), Section 10.060
- State Symbols of Missouri (Missouri Secretary of State), State Symbols of Missouri, Missouri Secretary of State publication, Missouri Secretary of State, The Great Seal of Missouri; The State Bird; The State Floral Emblem; The State Tree; The State Animal
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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