Looking for some flower facts?
Flowers beguile us with their lovely scent and striking beauty, but many flowers have hidden attributes. Flowers and plants have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Some flowers, such as the lotus, have religious or historical significance. Many flowers may also have unusual characteristics or forms. Dive into the fascinating world of flower-lore and gain a fresh appreciation for these plants.
1.    Roses are related to apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears and almonds.
2.    Tulip bulbs were more valuable than gold in Holland in the 1600s.
3.    Ancient civilizations burned aster leaves to ward off evil spirits.
4.    Tulip bulbs can be substituted for onions in a recipe.
5.    Chrysanthemums are associated with funerals in Malta and are considered unlucky.
6.    The very expensive spice, saffron, comes from a type of crocus flower.
7.    The largest flower in the world is the titan arums, which produce flowers 10 feet high and 3 feet wide. The flowers smell of decaying flesh and are also known as corpse flowers, as pictured at the top of this post. Creative Commons Flickr photo courtesy of un_cola.
8.    Almost 60 percent of fresh-cut flowers grown in the U.S. come from California.
9.    Hundreds of years ago, when Vikings invaded Scotland, they were slowed by patches of wild thistle, allowing the Scots time to escape. Because of this, the wild thistle was named Scotland’s national flower.
10. The lotus was considered a sacred flower by ancient Egyptians and was used in burial rituals. This flower blooms in rivers and damp wetlands, but may lie dormant for years during times of drought, only to rise again with the return of water. Egyptians viewed it as a symbol of resurrection and eternal life.
11. Scientists discovered the world’s oldest flower in 2002, in northeast China. The flower, named Archaefructus sinensis, bloomed around 125 million years ago and resembles a water lily.
12. The juice from bluebell flowers was used historically to make glue.
13. Foxglove is an old English name, derived from the belief that foxes slipped their feet into the leaves of the plant to sneak up on prey.
14. Dandelions might seem like weeds, but the flowers and leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and potassium. One cup of dandelion greens provides 7,000-13,000 I.U. of vitamin A.
15. The flower buds of the marsh marigold are pickled as a substitute for capers.
16. Sunflowers move throughout the day in response to the movement of the sun from east to west.
17. Moon flowers bloom only at night, closing during the day.
18. Flowering nicotiana is related to tobacco, from which cigarettes are made.
19. Gas plants produce a clear gas on humid, warm nights. This gas is said to be ignitable with a lit match.
20. When Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they subsisted on the roots of the Sego Lily Plant. This plant is the state flower of Utah.
21. The cornstarch-like powder known as arrowroot is derived from the plant, Marantha arundinacea, and is native to India. It was used by indigenous people to draw out the toxins from a poisoned arrow wound. Today, it is used to thicken pies and jellies.
22. Angelica was used in Europe for hundreds of years as a cure for everything from the bubonic plague to indigestion. It was thought to ward off evil spirits.
23. Blue cohosh, also known as squaw root or papoose root, was used by Native American women to ensure an easy labor and childbirth.
24. During the Middle Ages, lady’s mantle was thought to have magic healing properties.
25. When Achilles was born, his mother dipped him head first in a bath of yarrow tea, believing it had protective qualities. Yarrow is still known for healing and was used during World War I to heal soldiers’ wounds.
The next time you walk through a flower garden, take a minute to consider the individual plants growing there. One of them may hold the secret for curing a dreaded disease. Another may have a long, illustrious history. Every flower has qualities and attributes worth admiring.
Still reading? Check out these additional flower facts for kids!
Have any other flower facts to add? Leave a comment and share!
Julie says
Hello my name is Julie and I’m in the 6th grade and just wanted to say thanks for the facts they really helped me get an A on a project.
Natalie says
Hello my name is Natalie,
Flowers beguile us with their lovely scent and striking beauty, but many flowers have hidden attributes. Flowers and plants have been used medicinally for thousands of years. Some flowers, such as the lotus, have religious or historical significance. Many flowers may also have unusual characteristics or forms. Dive into the fascinating world of flower-lore and gain a fresh appreciation for these plants.
bob says
yes
monkey says
i think there should be part facts
Doo do says says
It is good ? right
Kyla says
Same with me I am in 3rd grade and I’m doing a report on flowers
chloedunn says
same and this helped me so much
Philip says
Hi my name is Philip and I wanted to say that Achilles’ mother dipped him in the river Styx when he was born to protect him not Yarrow tea.
sarah says
intresting!
Aliyah says
thank you aswell for the fact because i have got a project aswell and i could have an opportunity to work with a scientist cause of these facts
felipe says
I LOVE THIS WEB SITE I HAVE LARND LOTS OF FACTS OF FLOWERS I HOPE THAT MORE PEOPLE PLANT FLOWERS OR FRUIT OR OTHER CINDS OF FRUIT SO I AM GANNA PLANT FLOWERS AND FRUIT AND VESTUBLS PLANTS ARE SO PRITTY
felipe says
i hope more people larn about flowers
Sarah says
This is a great website to learn about flowers!
sarah says
my name is sarah to lol!
lily says
hi am lily and i am in 4 grade and i got a a+ from this thanks
lars says
Glad to hear it! Thanks for letting us know.
kane says
this is a good place to found out about flowers
Chessintra says
Hi, my name is Chessintra and I am in the 6th grade. I just wanted to say thanks. I decided that I want to work with flowers.
I want to be a genetical engineering. I am working on a new plant that I call Castiel, named after Misha Colllins. Or the angel Castiel.
Emma says
Hi my name is emma and I am in 3rd grade while researching on flowers I found out that rose blooms are edible!
LasairfhÃona says
Really good for my project! Thanks
Astra says
Chrysanthemums are associated with funerals and are considered unlucky in Slovenia as well. I bought them once for my mum and she was not happy with my choice (i think she was already terminally ill at the time). Slovenians celebrate Day of the Dead (or All Saints’ Day), on November 1. They visit graves of their loved ones, and, since Chrysanthemums are the only flowers that flower at that time of year, they are typically used to decorate the graves. Chances are this is where the association between funerals and Chrysanthemums comes from.
mallory phinney says
I want this flower for mothers day lol my mom would realy frek out an she would love me forever
shiana says
i am starting a flower planting program.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunny says
Hello , thanx for interesting facts about flowers. It’s helped me to make self study work about flower)) and I love chrysanthemums . I don’t believe that its unlucky. Its wrong!))
stella says
thanks
AntiAndroid says
Thanks For The Facts.
Sebastian says
Thanks! These were used in my essay for biology. Thanks again!
Rishabh says
This is very helpful!!!!!
jazline says
i need facts on flowers that are found in Delhi kindly publish more like these and also give me facts for the flowers found in Delhi in the comments
Alicia Shaw says
Yeah it really helped me. And this is Alicia Shaw here
Simon says
I have a chalk talk to do about flowers and this really helped.
Noah Campbell says
Awesome
Blank says
I think we need an everyday fun fact about flowers through gmail so we can add knowledge everyday!