The choice of the apple blossom as the Michigan state flower is fitting given the state’s long ties to the fruit. Michigan ranks third in the country in apple production, just behind Washington and New York. The apple blossom was named the Michigan state flower in 1897. While Michigan’s orchards produce many varieties of apples, lawmakers singled out the flower of the pyrus coronaria, or crabapple, for the distinction of becoming the Michigan state flower.