Simple A-Z List of Flowers

Approximately 270,000 species of flowers exist on the planet (See References 6). It is no surprise that there is a floral common name that represents every letter of the English alphabet. Some of the names are for garden flowers whereas others are for blooming trees or shrubs. While you cannot grow every single one of these in your backyard, you may be able to own some as houseplants or purchase them in flower shops.

A is for amaryllis, a tall perennial plant that may grow over a foot tall and has bugle-shaped, pink flowers.

B is for bird of paradise, a tropical flower whose yellow and blue petals resemble a bird's head.

C is for carnation, a symbol of everlasting love that comes in pink, yellow, white, red and other colors.

D is for daisy, whose white and yellow flower is recognized by most and is planted in gardens or grows in the wild.

E is for Egyptian stars, a shrub that blooms in the summer to produce dark pink, white or lilac, star-shaped flowers.

F is for fuchsia, also called lady's eardrops; the pink and purple dangling blossoms are showcased in hanging baskets or flower beds.

G is for goldenrod, which is often found in the wild and produces long chains of yellow flowers from summer to fall.

H is for hyacinth, a bulb plant that produces an elongated cluster of tubular-shaped blue, white, pink, purple, red or yellow flowers.

I is for iris, a large group of flower species that come in a variety of colors and have distinctive curved or bearded petals.

J is for jonquil, a type of daffodil with six yellow or white petals that form a star-shape with a distinctive cup in the center of the blossom.

K is for king cups, also called marsh marigolds. They are related to buttercups and their flowers look very similar to them except they have larger leaves and grow in wet environments.

L is for lavender, a fragrant purple flower grown in herb gardens and used in perfumes, potpourri and cooking.

M is for marigold, a popular plant for flower gardens. Their blossoms are fiery orange, yellow or red and are distinctively fragrant.

N is for nasturtium, a plant that creeps and climbs over trellises and produces tubular red, yellow or orange flowers.

O is for oleander, a tropical plant that is often grown as an ornamental shrub. In summer, it blooms to produce purple, pink or white showy flowers.

P is for primrose; a number of primrose flowers are a member of the Primula genus. Primula species come in a variety of colors, tend to grow in the wild and produce small flowers whose petals are radially arranged.

Q is for queen's tears, a tropical plant that has purple and yellow drooping flowers connected to portions of pink stem.

R is for rosemary, a popular cooking herb that produces light blue flowers.

S is for snapdragon, a favorite for gardens or bouquets with its dense, elongated cluster of tubular-shaped blossoms that come in a variety of colors.

T is for tea plant, which is indeed a source of the caffeinated beverage. When it blooms it produces large white flowers with yellow, elongated anthers.

U is for umbrella plant, a species that may be kept as a houseplant and whose foliage forms clusters of drooping umbrella-shaped canopies. When it blooms it produces inconspicuous brown flowers.

V is for verbena, a flower that may be planted from seed in the garden. Its open-faced blossoms come in white, purple, red, pink, lilac and other colors.

W is for water lily, an aquatic plant that floats on the surface of the water and has white, yellow, pink or purple star-shaped flowers.

X is for xylosma, an ornamental tree or shrub that grows light yellow or white flowers that are composed of what looks like small antennae.

Y is for yarrow; although considered by some to be an aggressive weed, it is sometimes planted intentionally for its attractive foliage and white flower clusters.

Z is for zinnia, a popular garden annual since it remains in bloom from summer to fall. Flowers may come in pink, red, yellow, orange, green, white and more.