AZDana

Okay, I wanted to post this yesterday because it was AZ’s birthday, so I hope no one minds the belated trivia:

The official Arizona state tree is the Palo Verde. That kind of surprises me, I would’ve guessed its the Ocotillo. Then again, maybe Ocotillos aren’t trees?

The state flower is the saguaro cactus bloom. I’m not complaining per se, but how can anyone see the top of a saguaro to enjoy the flower? Saguaros are the largest cactus in the U.S., and they can grow up to a height of fifty feet. I wish they would’ve chosen the flower of the prickly pear cactus, because then no one would have to climb a ladder to see the state flower.

The official state gemstone is Turquoise. Now, that’s a SMART choice! I really like turquoise, I just wish it was a bit easier to spell. If you’re wondering which came first, the word, or the rock, Wiki says the name originated in Turkey in the 16th century because of the trading at Turkish bazaars to Venetian merchants who took it to Europe. I still wonder what the Europeans called that particular shade before they actually saw the rock?

Here’s an interesting side bit of trivia: During the 70s, turquoise jewelry was very popular, and a lot of places sold jewelry that supposedly had turquoise chips as the focal point. But many consumers didn’t know that those “turquoise” chips were actually plastic bread bag closing tabs that had been chopped up and embedded in the ring.

I don’t know if that’s still being done, but I’ve recently heard of dishonest sellers soaking inferior grade turquoise in blue toilet bowl cleaner, like Ty-D-Bowl. Supposedly, if you soak the rock overnight in the stuff, the rock is much bluer and commands a much higher price. I don’t know about other people, but I prefer to make an honest dollar instead of soaking stuff in buckets.