Bluebonnet (plant)
Bluebonnet is a name given to any number of blue-flowered species of the genus "Lupinus" predominantly found in southwestern United States and is collectively the state flower of Texas. The shape of the petals on the flower resembles the bonnet worn by pioneer women to shield them from the sun.
Species often called bluebonnets include:On March 7, 1901, "Lupinus subcarnosus" became the only species of bluebonnet recognized as the state flower of Texas; however, "Lupinus texensis" emerged as the favorite of most Texans. So, in 1971, the Texas Legislature made any similar species of "Lupinus" that could be found in Texas the state flower.
Billie Jean Floyd
While campaigning, Floyd would hand peppermints to the public saying, "“Hello, my name is Billie Floyd and I’m running for the State Senate, and I just want to tell you that your vote would mean a mint to me, and here it is to show you."Floyd's old botany professor from East Central, Dr. Doyle McCoy, approached her in order to establish a state flower. Floyd carried the bill in the senate that inaugurated the Indian Blanket as the state flower of Oklahoma.