# Pi Alpha Xi

Pi Alpha Xi (ΠΑΞ) is an American collegiate honor society for horticulture founded in 1923 at Cornell University.

## History

After attending the 1923 International Flower Show in New York City, a group from Cornell University had the idea to start the honor society. Under the leadership of Professor Arno Nehrling, the Pi Alpha Xi constitution, ritual, and insignia/key were developed. Alpha chapter was installed at Cornell on June 1, 1923.
Pi Alpha Xi was established as an honor society for floriculture and ornamental horticulture but later changed to include all horticultural disciplines. Its mission is promoting fellowship, professional leadership, and scholarship and to enrich life through plants. Chapters are located in four-year colleges and universities that have horticultural programs.
By 1950, Pi Alpha Xi, chapters were established at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Beta), Pennsylvania State University (Gamma), Michigan State University (Delta), Ohio State University (Epsilon), Rutgers University (Zeta), Washington State University (Eta), and the University of Maryland, College Park (Theta). The society's added a significant number of chapters during the 1970s. As of January 24, 2024, Pi Alpha Xi has forty chapters and 14,000 members. Its publication is the Lotus Leaflet.
Pi Alpha Xi is managed by the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), based in Alexandria, Virginia. Its annual business meeting is held in conjunction with the ASHS annual conference.

## Symbols

The society's name was selected to represent:
* Pi (Π) – the first letter of polumathia, or scholarship;
* Alpha (Α) - from the word anthemorgous, meaning to work with plants;
* Xi (Ξ) – for zunoia, signifying the bond among gardeners, educators, and professional horticulturists.
Its colors are Nile green and cerulean blue, and its flower is the Nile lotus. Its symbols include the stylus, the Nile lotus, the Egyptian hoe, and the ancient vase. The motto of Pi Alpha Xi is "Always to Excel".
Its badge is a pin or key which is inscribed with the Greek letters ΠΑΞ and the stylus, Egyptian hoe, Nile lotus, and the ancient vase.

## Membership

Membership is open to undergraduate students who are juniors and seniors interested in floriculture, landscape horticulture, or ornamental horticulture who meet GPA requirements. Faculty and graduate students are also eligible for membership. The society also issues honorary memberships.

## Activities

Primarily, Pi Alpha Xi exists to recognize academic excellence. The national society sponsors the Pi Alpha Phi Annual Photography Contest, and publishes the Pi Alpha Xi Flower Judging Manual. It also recognizes Fellows from the Pi Alpha Phi membership for service or excellence in floriculture, landscape horticulture, ornamental horticulture, or Pi Alpha Phi. There is a limit of 25 living Fellows.
Some chapters also sponsor field trips to horticultural sites and lectures with guest speakers. Chapters also sponsor scholarships so that members can attend the ASHS conference. The national organization matches local scholarships.

## Chapters

Following is a list of Pi Alpha Xi chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters and institutions are in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | June 1, 1923 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Active |
| Beta | April 2, 1924 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana, Illinois | Active |
| Gamma | May 29, 1926 | Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Delta | April 12, 1929 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | Active |
| Epsilon | January 6, 1929 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Active |
| Zeta | November 16, 1933 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Active |
| Eta | March 12, 1949 | Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | Active |
| Theta | September 14, 1949 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park, Maryland | Active |
| Iota | February 15, 1957 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, North Carolina | Active |
| Kappa | June 1, 1968 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, Virginia | Active |
| Lambda | May 28, 1968 | University of Minnesota | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Active |
| Mu | May 16, 1974 | University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida | Active |
| Nu | May 30, 1974 | Auburn University | Auburn, Alabama | Active |
| Xi | December 1, 1974 | New Mexico State University | Las Cruces, New Mexico | Active |
| Omicron | February 23, 1975 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | Active |
| Pi | April 17, 1975 | Clemson University | Clemson, South Carolina | Active |
| Rho | March 1, 1975 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Active |
| Sigma | April 2, 1975 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, Illinois | Active |
| Tau | May 30, 1975 | University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | Active |
| Upsilon | September 1, 1975 | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, California | Active |
| Phi | October 29, 1975 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | Active |
| Psi | May 31, 1978 | Texas A&M University | College Station, Texas | Active |
| Chi | May 29, 1975 | Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | Active |
| Omega | March 16, 1979 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, Kansas | Active |
| Alpha Beta | May 26, 1980 | University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Tennessee | Active |
| Alpha Gamma | April 23, 1982 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Active |
| Alpha Delta | April 24, 1983 | Oklahoma State University–Stillwater | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Active |
| Alpha Epsilon | April 1984Spring 1984 | University of California, Davis | Davis, California | Active |
| Alpha Zeta | May 16, 1985 | University of Wisconsin–River Falls | River Falls, Wisconsin | Active |
| Alpha Eta | Spring 1985 | Delaware Valley University | Doylestown, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Alpha Theta | November 6, 1986 | Iowa State University | Ames, Iowa | Active |
| Alpha Iota | March 24, 1988 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Kappa | Spring 1990 | Mississippi State University | Starkville, Mississippi | Active |
| Alpha Lambda | February 1, 1992 | Florida A&M University | Tallahassee, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Mu | Spring 1992 | Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Alpha Nu | June 2, 1995 | Utah State University | Logan, Utah | Active |
| Alpha Xi | April 18, 2005 | Texas State University | San Marcos, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Omicron | May 2, 2006 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, Arkansas | Active |
| Alpha Pi | May 4, 2006 | University of Wisconsin–Platteville | Platteville, Wisconsin | Active |
| Alpha Rho | February 13, 2012 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, Oregon | Active |
| Alpha Sigma | October 13, 2015 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, Wyoming | Active |
| Alpha Tau | September 21, 2015 | University of Maine | Orono, Maine | Active |