Flowers

Tulips have a brief lifespan of only three to seven days.

Titan arums are the world's largest flowers at almost 10 feet in height.

There are over 15,000 species of roses cultivated across the world.

The rose family also includes pears, apples, cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, and almonds.

The first plant collectors date back 3,500 years to Egyptian Pharaoh Thothmes III's army. Depictions in the Temple of Karnak show soldiers delivering their booty of 200 plants collected from Syria.


Symbolism such as imagination, dreaminess, and a declaration of love is a big part of the allure of Tulips.

Sunflowers are able to soak up radiation.

Some orchids can grow over 65 feet in length.

Saffron is a spice that comes from a type of crocus flower.

Roses are valued for their romantic symbolism but their blooms are also edible and have the flavors of green apples and strawberries.

Most tulips have two to six leaves, but a few species can have up to 12 leaves.

Japan has a national chrysanthemum festival every year on September 9th. The flower is also portrayed on their imperial flags and weapons.

In the fifteenth century, roses symbolized two warring factions in England. Red roses symbolized the Lancaster faction while white roses symbolized the York faction. As such, the clash became known as the "War of the Roses."

In Malta, chrysanthemums are associated with funerals, making it unlucky to keep the flower indoors.

In a pinch, tulip bulbs make a passably good substitute for onions in recipes.

In 1996, Americans purchased about 1.2 billion cut roses, which is the equivalent of 4.67 roses for every person in the nation.

Helianthus is the scientific name for sunflowers, helia for sun and anthus for flower.

Feng shui buffs believe that chrysanthemums will bring happiness and laughter to any room.

During the 1600s, Tulips were so valuable that their bulbs were worth more than gold.

Due to their horrible aroma of rotting flesh, titan arums are also called corpse flowers.

Crossbreeding was common in the 1800s when Luther Burbank successfully crossed an oxeye field daisy with a Japanese daisy to produce the Shasta daisy, which is not a daisy at all but in fact a chrysanthemum.

Chrysanthemums are one of the few flowers that can be cultivated bonsai style.

Chrysanthemum blooms can be as small as 1 centimeter or as large as 25 centimeters.

Broccoli is a flower as well as a vegetable.

Barbara Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, and Rosie O'Donnell each have a rose named for them.

Angiosperm is the scientific name for flowering plants. It means "seed bearing."

Ancient civilizations believed that the smell of burning Aster leaves provided protection and drove malicious serpents into hiding.

Amazingly, Tulips can continue to grow as much as an inch per day after being cut.

Although there are over 250,000 species of flowering plants in the world, most everyone has singled out one or two to call favorite. Below are some facts about a few of the world's most popular flowers.