 Between 1950 and 1990, a large and fractious argument was waged over the state flower of Louisiana.Eventually, in 1990 a compromise was reached, the Southern magnolia would be the state flower and "Iris giganticaerulea" was declared as the official state wildflower of Louisiana in 1990.It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, and then updated on 2 December 2004.