- Tulip bulbs can be used in place of onions for cooking.
- Wild tulips come from the Caucaus montains and throughout Turkey. The ones in Holland are because of the economics of gardening.
- The Daisy flowers open at dawn and are visited by many small insects.
- The rose is the best-known symbol of beauty and love. Red roses mean I love you. A dozen of them make the ultimate statement on Valentine's Day. A single rose signifies simplicity.
- The spice saffron comes from a certain type of crocus.
- Women prefer pastel colored roses, men on the other hand prefer red.
- The bluebonnet became the Texas state flower in 1901. In 1971, the state legislature, named all lupine species as the official state flower.
- Lilies produce large quantities of pollen. To remove pollen from clothes lightly brush off the pollen with a toothbrush; this will prevent staining.
- In 1986 Congress voted to make the rose America's national flower.
- The creamy-white bloom of the magnolia tree was designated the state flower of Louisiana in 1900 because of the abundance of trees throughout the state.
- Pink and White Lady Slipper (cypripedium reginae) is the State flower of Minnesota. Illegal to pick in the state, the pink and white lady slipper is one of Minnesota's rarest wildflowers. They can take up to 16 years to produce their first flower, and sometimes live for 50 years.
- Americans bought more than 1.2 BILLION fresh cut roses in the year 1996. That's 4.67 roses for every man, woman, and child nationwide.
- California is the source for nearly 60% of all USA-grown fresh cut flowers.
- The first recorded plant collectors were the soldiers in the army of Thothmes III, Pharaoh of Egypt, 3500 years ago. In the Temple of Karnak these soldiers are shown bringing back 300 plants as booty from Syria.
- The number of Begonia hybrids is estimated between 1000 and 2000. Within this enormous family there are plants which are tiny enough to grow in an egg shell and others which can cover a greenhouse wall.
- The cactus family is divided into more than 100 genera. For simplicity North American cacti are placed into five groups: the prickly pears, the saguaro cactus group, the hedgehog cacti, the barrel cacti, and the pin-cushion and fishhook cacti.
- In 1890 Luther Burbank crossed oxeye field daisy and Japanese daisy to produce perhaps the quintessential chrysanthemum - The Shasta Daisy.
- The rose of Great Britain was the symbol of the Royal Family. As time passed, it became the national flower.
- Germany's national flower, centaurea is related with the emperor of old Germany. It has been called the "Emperor's flower".
- Egypt is known as the starting place of the ancient civilizations. "A water lily" has been Egypt's national flower for about 4000 years. It can be seen anywhere on the river Nile, especially the "blue water lily".
- The Titan Arum is not only the world's largest flower it is also the world's smelliest. This native of the central Sumatran rainforests is known affectionately as the Corpse Flower for its heady perfume of rotting flesh. It is 3 metres high.
- There are more than 15,000 different types of rose species and cultivated varieties worldwide.
- A bouquet of a dozen Wolffia blooms would comfortably fit on the head of a pin. This very minute flowering plant is native to Australia and Malaysia. The plant body is 0.6-0.9 mm long and only 0.2-0.5 mm wide. Not only is it one of the smallest flowering plants on earth, but it also produces one of the smallest fruits.
- In 2002 scientists in north-east China discovered a fossilised flower that blossomed about 125 million years ago. Called "the mother of all flowers", Archaefructus sinensis resembles the modern water lily.
- The daisy (Bellis Perennis) has a long history of being used as a medicinal herb, but is now much ignored. It is also used in homeopathy, where it is known as the ‘gardener’s friend’ as it is so good at treating bruises and sore backs.
25 interesting facts about flowers
