Poppies and Cacti and Palm Trees, Oh My! The Flora of Citrus Crate Labels

  By Kendra Belton, FCHoF Student Fellow

Blog Installment Two—East Coast Citrus, West Coast Citrus: Citrus Crate Labels in Florida and California, A Study in Comparisons

Both Florida and California designed citrus crate labels highlighting a variety of flora, including trees, flowers, shrubs, and other plants. Some plants were only native to Florida or California. Other plants grew in both states, or even across the nation. Often, the plants on the labels evoked an association with the state. For example, people know that palm trees grow in Florida. So, brands like “Royal Palm” would make jobbers think of Florida. Another sure and “familiar part of Florida’s environment” is Spanish Moss (“Spanish Moss”). People might also think about Florida if they saw Spanish Moss on a crate label. Many non-Floridians had never seen those plants before, so labels showing native plants would make wholesalers feel a positive connection with the state.

            California’s citrus crate labels also used floral images. Just like people associate palm trees and Spanish Moss with Florida, many think of cacti and yucca when they picture California. Additionally, people would have thought about the California poppy, California’s official state flower (Munson 2023). The California poppy is gold, rather than the typical red color. All three of these plants—cacti, yucca, and California poppies—appear on California’s citrus crate labels. Using familiar plants in advertising helped to connect buyers with California’s produce.

            Even though some of the labels were state-specific, not all of them were. Many labels feature intricate designs of other flowers, like goldenrods, carnations, roses, and daisies (The Citrus Label Gallery, Florida Citrus Crate Label Collection). Additionally, both Florida and California used orange blossoms on their labels. Orange blossoms have been Florida’s official state flower since 1909 (Munson 2023). People often associate orange blossoms with Florida more than with California, but they made sense in citrus advertising for both states (The Citrus Label Gallery). Using beautiful flowers is an effective way to create positive feelings in jobbers.

It is fascinating to compare and contrast Florida and California’s citrus crate labels. Nevertheless, both states produced some gorgeous art of various flora species, whether those species were native to the state or not. Sometimes, the inclusion of native species added a special touch to the citrus crate label. Using native plants helped buyers feel a positive connection with parts of the country they might otherwise have been unfamiliar with. It also gave them a small taste of the state beyond the fruit itself.

Bibliography: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YnuEs3oAUlnwe6uMgSDLNpKpRFnYq4YQ/view?usp=sharing

Images Cited: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19IXXoGwo7wfoX5_pUd4beO1750tpg4fl/view?usp=sharing