What Is the State Tree of Rhode Island? Facts & FAQ

Learning about different kinds of trees can be fun, and there is no better starting point than with state trees. The state tree of Rhode Island is the Red Maple, one of the most common trees in the eastern United States. If you would like to learn more about these trees, including when they became the state tree and why, keep reading as we take a deep dive into this topic.

What Does the Red Maple Look Like?

The Red Maple is a fairly large tree that typically grows to between 40 feet and 60 feet tall at the rate of 13–24 inches per year. It likes full sun and slightly acidic, well-drained soil and has dark green leaves with three to five lobes that change to a brilliant red or yellow in the fall. It produces small clusters of red flowers each year that give way to fruit that squirrels and other rodents enjoy, while rabbits and deer will eat the tender shoots and leaves.

When Did Rhode Island Select the Red Maple as Its State Tree?

Rhode Island officially selected the Red Maple as its state tree on March 6, 1964, and it was one of the last states to do so. However, school students had selected the tree many years earlier, in the 1890s, when the school commissioner gave the children a list of trees and asked them to select the one that they liked best. More than 70 years later, the Red Maple finally became the state tree.

When Did Rhode Island Select the Red Maple as Its State Tree?

There is not a clear reason for Rhode Island choosing the Red Maple as its state tree besides the children’s votes. However, some people think that the Red Maple is a reference to the state’s Dutch heritage. Rhode Island is Dutch for Red Island and has the Rhode Island Red Hen as its state bird.

Other Interesting Facts About Rhode Island

Coffee milk is the state drink of Rhode Island. It’s similar to chocolate milk, but you make it with coffee syrup instead. People started drinking it in the 1920s, and legislators named it the state drink after it became hugely popular.

Rhode Island was the last state to pick a flower when it chose Violet as its state flower on March 11, 1968. School children selected the Violet as the state flower on Arbor Day in 1897, but it took more than 70 years to put it in the books.

The state fruit of Rhode Island is the Greening Apple, a product that the people of Rhode Island created in 1797. These crisp yellow-green apples retain their sharp taste when cooking and taste great in pies and other desserts.

Summary

The state tree of Rhode Island is the Red Maple, a common tree in the eastern United States. It can grow up to 60 feet tall and has wide dark green leaves that turn yellow or red in the fall. It likely gets its name from the small clusters of red flowers that it produces, and it also produces fruit that squirrels and other rodents love. It became the state tree of Rhode Island in 1964, more than 70 years after students voted it in. There is no explanation for why they chose it or why it took so long to be official.

• See also: 10 Types of Grapefruit (With Pictures)

Featured Image Credit: Mircea Costina, Shutterstock