Since the fragrant orange blossom – Florida’s state flower since 1909 – reportedly has many soothing properties, including reducing cortisol levels, insomnia, and anxiety, Flowerpowerdaily is hoping for many ways to reduce stress for those impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Did you know that the state was named by Ponce de Leon in 1513 because “La Florida” was called the “land of flowers?”
The orange blossom with its five waxy petals is a magical flower indeed. The sweet orange tree that produces the flowers before the fruit of navel oranges appears blooms from mid-January to March in Florida.
In fact, it was the favorite flower of Queen Victoria. In 1840, instead of a tiara, she wore a wreath of orange blossoms on her wedding day to her beloved Prince Albert. Her wedding dress was also trimmed on the bodice with orange-flower blossoms. From then on, Prince Albert would give her orange blossom-inspired jewelry as gifts which created a worldwide trend and appreciation for this flower.
Aside from Florida, orange trees have also long been a feature within royal gardens, not least at Versailles.
Despite its popularity, there was some competition to become the Florida state flower. Some lobbied for the camellia and gardenia, but the orange blossom won the prize. Although oranges are native to Southeast Asia, by the time the orange blossom was declared Florida’s state flower in 1909, there were more orange trees growing in the U.S. than in any other country in the world.
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