232 Types of Flowers: How To Identify and Grow Flowers In Any Season

There are thought to be as many as 400,000 identified types of flowers around the world, from flowering grasses, trees, and shrubs to herbaceous plants.

Flowers have played an important role in ecosystem stability, medicinal treatment and advances, and social relationships through the years.

They have been used to treat ailments, beautify the world, and inspire many forms of art.

But what exactly is a flower and how can it be identified?

This article explores the beauty and impact of the natural world of flowers and illustrates how 232 types of flowers can be identified and grown in any season.

The Evolutionary Story of the Plant Kingdom

The Smithsonian defines a plant as a (usually) stationary, living organism that contains chlorophyll, absorbs water and other substances through its root system, and uses photosynthesis to create necessary nutrients. The plant kingdom includes mosses, ferns, grasses, trees, shrubs, and herbs.¹

The kingdom Plantae can be divided into two main subgroups: flowering and non-flowering plants. Non-flowering plants include mosses and ferns – which use spores to reproduce – and gymnosperms – plants that produce naked seeds but do not flower (e.g. conifers).

The simpler plant organisms such as mosses and liverworts were more numerous earlier on in the Earth’s evolutionary history, but the flowering plants – known as angiosperms – exploded during the late Cretaceous period, making them the dominant and most diverse group of all plant life.^1,2

The following diagram from Michael Benton’s 2021 publication in The New Phytologist on the “Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution” shows how the angiosperm evolved rapidly alongside many groups of insects as other types of flora and fauna continued to experience a more gradual evolutionary pattern.³

The evolutionary path of the angiosperms leads to an incredibly diverse group of flowering plant species that are central to all life on earth.

The Angiosperms or Flowering Plants

The angiosperms, or flowering plants, are known for their beautiful blooms and their ability to bear fruit. These plants reproduce with pollen and seeds, but their seeds are enclosed inside their fruit, unlike gymnosperms.

Flowering plants are believed to have diverged from their closest biological relatives more than 130 million years ago, and the Smithsonian reports that the number of known flowering plant species exceeds 350,000!^1,4

Any plant species which produces flowers, whether shrub, tree, grass, or herbaceous plant is considered an angiosperm.

Since the development and advancement in DNA sequencing (primarily in the early 21st century), botanists are moving away from the structural classification of flowering plants developed by Arthur Cronquist in the latter half of the 20th century towards a phylogenetic classification system that relies on DNA analysis. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) was formed, and the fourth – and most recent – version of the APG classification system was published in 2016.

According to the APG IV system, the angiosperm division of the plant kingdom can be further divided into two groups based on when their evolutionary divergence from their shared ancestor occurred: basal angiosperms and core angiosperms.

The Amborella most well-known order, Nymphaeales, contains the family Nymphaeaceae, commonly known as water lilies.

Prior to phylogenetic analysis, the lotus flower was thought to be a close relative of the water lily given their similar appearance and habitat, but genetic sequencing places them in distinctly separate and genetically distant families.

The other, much larger, grouping of angiosperms is the core angiosperms or Mesangiospermae.

The core angiosperms are composed of five primary sub-groups: Chloranthales, Ceratophyllales, Magnoliids, Monocots, and Eudicots.

Only Chloranthales and Ceratophyllales are true “Orders,” while Magnoliids, Monocots, and Eudicots are larger clades that each contain multiple Orders.

The Magnoliids clade is made up of four orders – Canellales, Laurales, Magnoliales, and Piperales – and includes many well-known flowering trees such as the magnolia tree, wild cinnamon tree, and tulip trees.

Eudicots are the largest group of flowering plants with approximately 175,000 species, and Monocots are a distant second in size with around 70,000 species. The orchid is one of the better known Monocots, and the rose is the most famous Eudicot.

These two clades make up the vast majority of wildflowers and garden flowers around the world.⁴

Close-up photo of a red China Rose and Pansy Orchids flower with its leaves around it.

The following diagram summarizes the phylogenetic classification of flowering plants per APG IV.^2,4

The Difference Between Monocots and Dicots

Monocots and Eudicots (sometimes called Dicots) are the two largest groups of flowering plants by far. In fact, each of these clades is composed of multiple plant Orders.

However, the difference between Monocots and Dicots is not always obvious to the casual eye, as the distinction often lies in the seeds, roots, and leaves of the plants.

The Seed

The first distinction between Monocots and Eudicots lies in the seed and the number of cotyledons. Every seed has at least one cotyledon, or seed leaf, which may provide sustenance for a growing plant embryo.

Monocot seeds are distinguished by the presence of only one cotyledon, while Eudicots and most other plant species have two cotyledons.¹

The Leaves

In Monocots, the leaf veins which carry water and nutrients are parallel. Eudicot veins, in contrast, branch out in reticulated patterns from a main vein.¹

The Roots

Similar to the leaves of the plants, the roots of Monocots and Eudicots vary significantly, as well. Monocots have a root system that is fibrous – composed of many small roots which tend to spread outward rather than anchoring downward.

Meanwhile, the Eudicot has a strong central taproot that grows deep into the soil with many small peripheral roots branching out from there.^{2, 5}

The Stem

The vascular tissue within a plant stem is bundled but scattered within a Monocot stem, whereas a Eudicot’s vascular bundles are arranged in rings (this is what creates the familiar ring pattern within the trunks of most trees).⁵

Flowers

In Monocots, flower parts are often present in groups of three compared with groups of four or five in Eudicots. Additionally, Monocots have a single pore (or furrow) for pollen while Eudicots typically have three.⁵

Flowers and Their Many Uses

The explosive evolution of angiosperms corresponded with a boom in insect populations and a subsequent climb in mammalian life. The reason for this is that flowering plants form the foundation of the food chain which large animals need for survival.

The following sections explore how flowers are used in everyday life.⁶

Edible Flowers

The vast majority of plants rely on fertilization through flowers to bear fruit and reproduce, and flowering plants are directly responsible for a large percentage of the human diet. The grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits, and nuts which are consumed on a regular basis by any number of herbivores are all produced by flowering plants.

Angiosperms are also responsible for oils used in cooking and other commercial products. Though not all plants are edible and many are even extremely poisonous to humans, Native Americans learned which plants to forage and how to cultivate particularly nutritious species, such as the sunflower.⁶

Though many people have squeezed the sweet nectar from a honeysuckle flower, very few realize how many of the native plants around them are safe for consumption. From the tubers and acorn-like fruit of the Nelumbo (lotus) genus to the blossoms of the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) to the flowers of the daylily, evening primrose, and goldenrod. . . nature is abundant with edible flora.^7,8

Flowers in Medicine

Native American tribes such as the Cherokee and Iroquois and their ancestors are known for their wide array of herbal medicine, but the medicinal use of plants extends back at least as far as written history to ancient Egypt and ancient China. Many people may not realize that flowering plants are still used in medicine today, but research into medicinal plants is ongoing, with over 5,000 related studies published each year.^6,9

The following is a short list of some angiosperm-derived medicines:

• Aspirin: Willow Bark (Salix alba)
• Digitalis for heart issues: Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
• Irinotecan for cancer: Chinese Happy Tree (Camptotheca acuminata)
• L-Dopa for Parkinson’s Disease: Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens)

• Muscle relaxants – Curare (Strychnos toxifera)
• Opioids – Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
• Quinine for malaria – Cinchona bark (Cinchona officinalis)
• Vincristine for leukemia – Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)
• Vitamin C – Fruit-bearing angiosperms

Why Are Flowers Important for the Ecosystem?

Historically, flowers were relied upon for their medicinal and nutritional properties, but the expansion of botany over the last several centuries has led to a better understanding of the integral role of flowers in the ecosystem. According to the U.S. Forest Service, flowering plants are important for their carbon dioxide recycling function and their ability to combat erosion and purify water.

The flowers themselves are necessary for the reproductive cycle of plants which the flowers sustain by producing pollen and attracting pollinators. The U.S. Forest Service reports that nearly 80% of the global food and plant-based industry is dependent upon pollination.

Continue reading to learn about the many varieties of flowering plants.¹⁰

6 Types of Flowering Trees and Shrubs

The majority of trees on the earth today are flowering trees, or angiosperms (the most notable exceptions are the cone-bearing conifers or gymnosperms). Finding out exactly how many tree species are there with flowers is a difficult task, but 80% of all green plants produce flowers, and the number of trees is likely similar.

According to a University of Illinois article, there are 300 to 500 times as many angiosperm species as gymnosperm.¹¹

The following is a list of six types of flowering trees that have gained popularity in the United States.

#1: Purpleleaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera)

Medium-size fruit trees have become a favorite addition to homes across the country. With their beautiful colors, moderate size, and fragrant aroma, they are ideal for lawn landscapes.

The Purpleleaf Plum, or cherry plum, is a deciduous fruit tree of which several ornamental varieties have been cultivated. The Purpleleaf plum has also been crossed with other fruit trees to make other hybrid ornamental breeds, such as the European plum, Prunus domestica.

While the Purpleleaf Plum is native to western Asia and southeast Europe, it is now naturalized across North America and parts of Australia. It is beautiful white to pink flowers bloom in the spring, and its reddish-purple leaf canopy is attractive through summer and fall.¹²

Image Credit: AnRo0002³³

#2: Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata)

The Kwanzan cherry tree of Japan is a small, deciduous fruit tree that shares the genus, Prunus, with the Purpleleaf Plum and over 400 other species. It was cultivated from the Oshima cherry and other hybrid cherries during the Edo period in Japan (between 1600 and 1850).

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

It is considered by many to be the most beautiful of all Japanese cherry blossoms with its spring-blooming, pink, double flowers. While perfect for gardens and yards, this small tree is vulnerable to pests and comparatively short-lived.

#3: Great Laurel or Rosebay Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)

The rosebay rhododendron, or great laurel, is a large, flowering, evergreen shrub native to the Appalachian area of the eastern United States and southern Canada. Favoring shade, this woody plant thrives in the understory of woodland and mountainous areas of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and does not tolerate direct sunlight well.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

The Rhododendron maximum produces clusters of pinkish-white flowers in late summer, and it retains its large, smooth evergreen foliage year round. The great laurel, once used in native American medicine and rituals, is now cultivated for its decorative value.^12,13

#4: Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

The flowering dogwood, native to eastern North America, is a small to medium-sized, decorative tree that often grows at the fringes of wooded areas. It displays beautiful, firm-petaled bracts – modified leaves resembling petals – in spring.

Its rich, red, fall berries are loved by many songbirds. Cornus florida is also prized for the deep burgundy hue of its fall foliage.

The flowering dogwood was used by Native American tribes to treat aches and make tonics, and its bark contains quinine, which is effective against malaria. The hardwood of the dogwood is ideal for making small tools, but the tree is vulnerable to various pests and particularly susceptible to powdery mildew.

Cornus florida grows best in rural settings, as it is not resilient to pollution.^{12, 13, 14}

#5: Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

The eastern redbud is eye-catching in any spring landscape, with its bold, pink clusters of small flowers which bloom before the tree is in leaf. These edible flowers are dainty but abundant.

When the redbud sprouts, it displays large, green, heart-shaped leaves which turn yellow in the fall. For Native American tribes, the eastern redbud was valuable for its medicinal use against lung ailments.

A yellow dye can also be made by boiling the twigs from this tree.¹²

#6: Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana)

The saucer magnolia is a hybrid pink magnolia tree that was bred from Magnolia denudata and Magnolia liliiflora in France. It is a popular, though short-lived ornamental tree that produces large, pink flowers during the spring season.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

Magnolia soulangeana has large, smooth leaves that are thick and firm and have low-spreading branches. Its fruit is a cone-shaped follicle with orange seeds.

The saucer magnolia can be grown in urban areas, but it is vulnerable to damage caused by strong winds and frost.

Different Types of Flowers Around the World

There are many different types of flowers around the world, and some of the most incredible species were discovered in isolated locations or extreme climates. More than half of the angiosperm species currently identified are native to the tropical rainforests of the world, which are rapidly dwindling under human influence.

These tropical species include the Flamingo Flower (Anthurium andraeanum) of Colombia and Ecuador and the Blue Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea) of South America. Conversely, there are even two angiosperm species that survive the extreme cold of the Antarctic continent.

These are the Antarctic Hair Grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and the Antarctic Pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis).¹⁶

8 Beautiful Types of Flowers With Pictures

Flowers are valuable for many reasons, but one of their most widespread uses is for aesthetics. Flowering plants add a full spectrum of color to the natural world.

This section highlights some of the most beautiful types of flowers with pictures from all around the world!

#7: Garden Dahlia (Dahlia pinnata)

The garden dahlia is a perennial plant that may grow to be several feet high. It is known for its striking appearance, with variable, bold colors.

Its many-petaled blooms typically appear in late summer to early fall atop its abundant green foliage. The Dahlia pinnata, believed to have originally been cultivated by the Aztecs hundreds of years ago has since been bred to create many variants and hybrids.

The black dahlia is one popular variant that gained cultural significance in the U.S. crime scene of the mid-1900s.

#8: Treasure Flower/African Daisy (Gazania rigens)

Gazania rigens is often called the African daisy because it is native to South Africa and resembles a large daisy. The original African daisy is orange to yellow, but cultivation has produced more variety in coloring.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

Gazanias generally do well in temperate, sunny environments. Although they are sometimes perennial in mild climates, they are more often annual due to their shallow root systems.

Gazania rigens flowers throughout the summer, but the ample blooms close at night and when in shade.

#9: Perfumed Passionflower (Passiflora vitifolia)

The perfumed passionflower is an herbaceous vine that favors tropical, warm climates. Its bright red blooms make a stunning display through the summer and fall seasons.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

It bears a 1 to 2” bitter green fruit which is edible for humans when allowed ample time off the vine to ripen. This flowering plant, though native to tropical Central America, can be successfully grown in much of the U.S. southern and western regions.

#10: Georgia Peach Water Lily (Nymphaea ‘Georgia Peach’)

Water lilies are unique to the featured flowers in this article, as they belong to the basal angiosperm (ANA) rather than the core angiosperm grouping. The Nymphaeales order makes up one of the three subgroups of basal angiosperms.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

These plants are thought to have diverged from non-flowering plants earlier in the earth’s evolutionary history. The Nymmphaeaceae family is composed of 5 genera, and the Nymphaea genus itself is made up of over 60 species!

Though native to tropical areas, popular cultivated hybrids such as the Georgia Peach are hardy in many climates.¹

#11: Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

The sunflower has been cultivated for many thousands of years, leading to the Helianthus annuus, a mammoth plant that towers over its neighbors at maturity. Although the sunflower is known for its massive flower head, this “flower” is not actually a single bloom, but rather, an inflorescence composed of hundreds of tiny flowers fused together.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

The sunflower is known for its size, beautiful, bright coloring, and nutritious, tasty seeds.^{1, 12}

#12: Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

The Sacred Lotus was once thought to be closely related to the phenotypically similar water lily, but DNA analysis has revealed that the two plants are only distantly related and developed similar characteristics through convergent evolution.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

Nelumbo nucifera has evolved several unique abilities, such as the self-cleaning function of its waxy leaves! Remarkably, the seeds of this flower are still capable of germinating after lying dormant for hundreds of years.^{1, 8}

#13: Chinese Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

The Chinese Hibiscus is a beautiful flowering evergreen shrub that can grow to a height of 10 feet or greater in favorable climates. It shares its family, the Malvaceae, with many diverse species, from the cocoa plant (Theobroma cacao) to the baobab (Adansonia digital).

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

This popular ornamental flowering plant is native to the South Pacific but grown globally. The plant produces an abundance of extremely short-lived blooms which can grow to be up to 10” in diameter in rare cases.^{1, 17}

#14: Italian Leather Flower (Clematis viticella)

The Italian Leather Flower is a member of the Ranunculaceae family which originated in Southern Europe. It is a perennial vine that produces large, colorful blooms and requires little maintenance.

(Image: Denise Davis³⁰)

Many cultivars have been developed through the years, such as the one featured in this photo (Clematis ‘asao’). The clematis is an excellent pollinator flower, attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds with its bright blossoms.

Exotic and Rare Types of Flowers List

A flower may be considered exotic because of its appearance, its smell, its blooming cycle, its rarity, or any combination of these. The following table provides a type of flower list of rare and exotic flowers around the world.

The flowers on this list range from the common but strikingly beautiful Bird-of-Paradise flower to the mysterious and incredibly rare Middlemist Camellia, to bizarre flower species noted for their odor of rotting flesh, to a tiny flower steeped in Eastern legend and spirituality which is believed to bloom only once every 3,000 years.^{18, 19}

All Types of Flowers in the United States

The United States is noted for having some of the most diverse native flora, with as many as 17,000 native angiosperms. However, this native flora has been diminished over time by invasive plant species introduced from other areas.

This section recognizes a sample of all types of flowers native to and representative of the U.S.^{12, 20}

Types of Flowers by Region and State

The geography of the United States varies significantly from North to South and East to West, creating diverse climates and landscapes. The types of flowers by region are quite distinct: the flowering plants of the Florida Everglades are different from those that grow in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona or the mountains of Montana.

The following table gives a peek into some of the flowering plants associated with each region (see U.S. Census Regions and Divisions of the United States) state.²¹

* Denotes state flower.
** Denotes state wildflower.
^ Denotes other flower of significance.
Note: The state flower of Maine is not actually an Angiosperm.

Types of Lilies Flowers: Identifying “True” Lilies by Their Structure

Many flowers bear the word ‘lily’ in their name, and a significant number of these are not “true” lilies, or members of the Lilium genus. It can be tricky to know the difference without doing some research.

Here are a few pointers on how to identify true types of lilies flowers. “True” lilies:^{22, 23}

• Are perennial
• Are grown from bulbs that are scaly
• Have a single, erect stem growing from each bulb
• Have 6-petaled flowers
• Are members of the Lilium genus

Some true lilies include:

• Tiger Lily (Lilium lancifolium)
• Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum)
• Turk’s Cap Lily (Lilium superbum)
• Easter Lily (Lilium wallichianum)
• Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum)

The following are not-true lilies:

• Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus)
• Belladona Lily (Amaryllis belladona)
• Canna Lily (Canna)
• Calla Lily (Zantedeschia)
• Amazon Water Lily (Victoria amazonica)

Growing Flowers in Any Season

Part of establishing a successful flower garden is knowing what types of flowers to plant, and the other element is knowing when to plant them. Most flowers have a particular season when they bloom, and to see same-year blooms, a gardener must be attentive to when the bulbs or seeds should be planted.²⁴

Spring

In the early spring, start seeds of annual flowers outdoors (or indoors before the last spring frost or outdoors). Examples of annuals include:

• The Aster Family (daisies, sunflowers, gazanias, gaillardias, zinnias, marigolds, cosmos)
• Poppies
• Petunias
• Salvia

Plant perennial bulbs which bloom in the fall:

• Begonia
• Calla Lilies
• Dahlia
• Daylilies
• Gladiolus

Summer

Though summertime is generally too late to start most flowers from seed or bulb, early summer is a great time to transplant nursery flowers to a garden bed. The annual flowers listed above transplant beautifully in the months of May and June and complement a vegetable garden nicely.

Fall

Fall brings another wave of color, as those spring-planted bulbs begin to grow and flower. Early fall is the time to plant fall annuals, such as:²⁵

• Mums
• Pansies
• Alyssum
• Violas

Fall is also the time to plant the perennial bulbs that will sprout in the following spring:

• Crocus
• Daffodil
• Hyacinth
• Iris
• Tulip

Winter

Winter is a less abundant season where plant life is concerned, but that doesn’t mean it must necessarily be devoid of color. Plant the following bulbs at least 6 weeks before the first freeze to enjoy a splash of color all winter long:²⁶

• Crocus
• Hellebore
• Daphne
• Camellia (winter blooming)
• Mahonia
• Scilla
• Winter Aconite

Winter is also the time to mulch the beds of any flowers that may be more sensitive to the cold during their dormant state.

Flowering plants are among the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet, and their evolutionary history is simply amazing. Flowers are beautiful, culturally significant, and ecologically necessary, and a flower garden can be a year-round hobby!

Angiosperms (flowering plants) can be sorted into 8 groups, but the vast majority of species are either Eudicots (two cotyledons) or Monocots (single cotyledon. Understanding the difference between Eudicots and Monocots makes it easier to identify many types of flowers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Types of Flowers