Hebard presented her commissioned painting to the state. The State of Wyoming, by an act of the Fourteenth State Legislature convened in Cheyenne and approved on January 31, 1917, made the Indian paintbrush ( Castilleja linariaefolia) the official state flower of Wyoming.Īfter the Indian paintbrush was adopted, Dr. She lobbied hard for the Indian paintbrush, even commissioning a New York artist to paint a picture of the flower for the legislators. Political science professor, civil engineer, historian, author, Wyoming's first woman attorney, University Librarian, Head of the Department of Political Economy, suffragette, Grace Hebard was a force to be reckoned with. Hebard, lobbying for the Indian paintbrush, was a powerful opponent however. Nelson favored adoption of a flower that was common throughout the state and one that could be grown in gardens and suggested the columbine or the schoolchildren's favorite, the fringed gentian as options.ĭr. Greater Fringed Gentia ( Gentianopsis crinita (Froel.) Ma Unofficial, the fringed gentian chosen by Wyoming schoolchildren was a sentimental favorite.There was no widespread support for the plant.They were parasitic, feeding on the roots of other plants.There were too many varieties and only an expert could tell them apart.Indian paintbrushes were not common throughout the state.He made his objections known in the Wyoming School Journal of 1917. Aven Nelson, also of the University of Wyoming, objected to the adoption of the Indian paintbrush however. One of the country's leading botanists, Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard drafted the legislation and found a sponsor for the bill. The Wyoming Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution put their support behind the Indian paintbrush. After all, over half of the states had already designated a state flower by 1916. In polls of Wyoming schoolchildren, the fringed gentian proved to be a favorite and it served as an unofficial state flower in the early years of the 20th century.īut, Wyoming had no official state flower and it was felt by many, among them the Daughters of the American Revolution in Wyoming, that it was important to choose one. The Indian paintbrush adopted by the Wyoming Legislature met with some staunch opposition but in the end, prevailed to become the official flower. Wyoming State Flower, Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia), from NETSTATE.COM