Mountain Laurel was designated as Pennsylvania’s official state tree in 1933 by Gov. Gifford Pinchot. It is one of the few broad-leaved, evergreen plants native to PA that do not lose their leaves in the winter. A member of the “health family”, mountain laurel is grouped in the same genus as azaleas, blueberries, cranberries, huckleberries and rhododendron. Each spring, Pennsylvania’s mountainsides come alive with blooms of mountain laurel. Join Kelly Sitch, DCNR Ecologist, for a virtual presentation on our state flower and other native wildflowers.