STATE FLOWER
Maryland's State Flower: Black-Eyed Susan
The black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is Maryland's official state flower — a golden daisy-like bloom that had to overcome its reputation as a weed to earn the title.
A Transplant, Not a Native
Despite becoming so closely tied to Maryland, the black-eyed Susan actually originated in the Midwest rather than the mid-Atlantic. A group organized at the Maryland Agricultural College championed the flower starting in 1896, but it took until 1918 — and considerable pushback from those who saw it as little more than a common weed — for it to be formally adopted.
QUICK FACT
Black-eyed Susans are draped over the winning horse at the Preakness Stakes each year, cementing the flower's place in Maryland tradition.
