List of Arkansas state symbols

The following is a list of the symbols of the U.S. state of Arkansas.

Location of the state of Arkansas in the United States

State symbols

The Flag of Arkansas

The Great Seal of the State of Arkansas

The following state symbols are officially recognized by state law.

• State anthem: "Arkansas" by Eva Ware Barnett, adopted: 1987[1]
• State historical song: "The Arkansas Traveler" by Sanford Faulkner, adopted: 1987[1]
• State motto: Regnat Populus ("The People Rule"), adopted: 1907[2]
• State songs: "Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me)" by Wayland Holyfield and "Oh, Arkansas" by Terry Rose and Gary Klass, adopted: 1987[1]

Type	Symbol	Year	Image
American folk dance	Square dance	1991[3]
Beverage	Milk	1985[4]
Bird	Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos	1929[5]
Butterfly	Diana fritillary butterfly Speyeria diana	2007[6]
Floral emblem	Apple blossom Pyrus malus	1901[7]
Fruit and vegetable	South Arkansas vine ripe pink tomato Solanum lycopersicum	1987[8]
Gem	Diamond	1967[9]
Grain	Rice Oryza sp.	2007[10]
Grape	Cynthiana grape Vitis aestivalis	2009[11]
Historic cooking vessel	Dutch oven	2001[12]
Insect	Honey bee Apis mellifera	1973[13]
Mammal	White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus	1993[14]
Mineral	Quartz	1967[15]
Musical instrument	Fiddle	1985[16]
Nut	Pecan Carya illinoinensis	2009[17]
Primitive fish	Alligator gar Atractosteus spatula	2019[18]
Rock	Bauxite	1967[19]
Soil	Stuttgart soil series	1997[20]
Tree	Pine tree (either Pinus taeda or Pinus echinata)	1939[21]

Other

• 
  State quarter for Arkansas
• 
  USS Arkansas (CGN-41)

Extra info

The designation of a variety of tomato as both the state fruit and the state vegetable is correct. Standing on both sides of the long-running controversy, the law recognizes that the tomato is botanically a fruit, but is a vegetable in culinary use; thus it is officially both in Arkansas.

Though two other songs are designated as "state songs" (plus a "state historical song" which was the state song from 1949 to 1963), by state law the Secretary of State must respond to any requests for "the state song" with the music of the state anthem, "Arkansas"; it was the state song before 1949 and from 1963 to 1987, when it became state anthem and the other songs gained their present status. This is strictly to preserve the status of "Arkansas"; all four songs are either copyrighted by the state itself or in the public domain.

See also

• List of Arkansas-related topics
• Lists of United States state insignia
• State of Arkansas

References

1. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state songs", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
2. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state motto", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
3. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state dance", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
4. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state beverage", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
5. Spurgeon, John (March 8, 2018), "Official state bird", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
6. Spencer, Lori A. (March 8, 2018), "Official state butterfly", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
7. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state flower", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
8. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state fruit and vegetable", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
9. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state gem", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
10. Teske, Steven (March 8, 2018), "Official state grain", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
11. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state grape", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
12. Ragsdale, John G. (March 8, 2018), "Official state cooking vessel", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
13. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state insect", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
14. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state mammal", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
15. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state mineral", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
16. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state musical instrument", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
17. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state nut", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
18. "Gov. Hutchinson signs bill making alligator gar state's official primitive fish", thv11.com, March 25, 2019, retrieved 2019-05-27
19. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state rock", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
20. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state soil", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27
21. Ware, David (March 8, 2018), "Official state tree", Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved 2019-05-27

External links

• State Symbols of Arkansas