North Carolina state symbols
North Carolina’s state bird is the cardinal (1943), its flower the dogwood (1941), its tree the pine (1963), and its motto “Esse quam videri”, “to be rather than to seem” (1893).
How to read it
Chapter 145 of the General Statutes names the symbols, each with the session law that adopted it: “The dogwood is hereby adopted as the official flower” (1941), “The cardinal is hereby declared to be the official State bird” (1943) and “The pine is hereby adopted as the official State tree” (1963). The motto is in § 144-2: “The words ‘esse quam videri’ are hereby adopted as the motto of this State” (1893). NCpedia, the State Library’s encyclopedia, gives the translation, “to be rather than to seem”, and the cardinal’s scientific name, Cardinalis cardinalis. The same chapter makes the Carolina lily (Lilium michauxii) the state wildflower (2003) and the Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) the state Christmas tree (2005).
Also searched as: north carolina state bird, north carolina state flower, north carolina state motto, north carolina state symbols, north carolina state tree, official symbols of north carolina.
Which pine
NCpedia says that, despite popular belief, no single species of pine is the official tree: the 1963 law names only “the pine”. The law was changed in 2023. It still adopts the pine as the state tree, and now also designates the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) “as the emblem representing the trees of North Carolina”.
States with the same bird
The cardinal is the state bird of Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia too; Audubon counts seven eastern states that have chosen it.
Read next
- Next in US state symbolsNorth Dakota state symbolsNorth Dakota’s state bird is the western meadowlark (1947), its flower the wild prairie rose (1907), its tree the American elm (1947), and its motto “Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable”.
- The same shape in Currency symbolsCent sign (¢)The cent sign (¢) marks an amount in cents, hundredths of a dollar, written straight after the number: 75¢.
More US state symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 145 (State Symbols and Other Official Adoptions), N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 145-1, 145-2, 145-3, 145-20, 145-25, North Carolina General Assembly, § 145-1 State flower; § 145-2 State bird; § 145-3 State tree; § 145-20 State wildflower; § 145-25 State Christmas tree
- North Carolina General Statutes § 144-2 (State motto), N.C. Gen. Stat. § 144-2, North Carolina General Assembly, Chapter 144, § 144-2 State motto
- NCpedia: State Bird of North Carolina (Cardinal), NCpedia, "Bird," North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions, State Library of North Carolina, Article text
- NCpedia: State Flower of North Carolina (Dogwood), NCpedia, "Flower," North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions, State Library of North Carolina, Article text
- NCpedia: State Tree of North Carolina (Pine), NCpedia, "Tree: Pine," North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions, State Library of North Carolina, Article text
- NCpedia: State Motto of North Carolina (Esse Quam Videri), NCpedia, "Motto: Esse Quam Videri," North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions, State Library of North Carolina, Article text
- NCpedia: North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions, NCpedia, "North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions" (list), State Library of North Carolina, List of symbols
- Northern Cardinal (Audubon Guide to North American Birds), National Audubon Society, Guide to North American Birds, “Northern Cardinal”, National Audubon Society, Species description
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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