10 Most Beautiful Flowers In The World
The famous artist Monet said “I must have flowers, always, always, always.” Why through the ages have we loved and appreciated flowers so much? Because flowers are symbols of love, joy, hope and happiness. We associate flowers with pleasant weather and sunny days. Pleasing the eye and filling the air with their sweet fragrances, everyone has their own personal favorite; whether you prefer your flowers in a well-manicured garden, in its natural environment or perhaps in a contemporary vase, very few people will admit to not enjoying flowers in one form or another.
1. Sunflower
The flowering sunflower tracks the sun’s path with its flower head, so you will see the sunflower facing one way in the morning, and the opposite way in the late afternoon. This phenomenon, known as Heliotropism, has fascinated people for many centuries. The sunflower is Russia’s National Flower. A tall growing plant with between 1,000 and 2,000 small individual flowers combined in the impressive sunflower head, the sunflower also has many uses from seeds, to sunflower oil and livestock feed. And would you be surprised to learn that the nation with the tallest people, the Netherlands, also produced the tallest sunflower in history? A sunflower standing higher than 25 feet was grown in the Netherlands in 1986.
2. Oriental Poppy
A delicate flower, yet the cause of wars around the world. Oriental Poppies is a well-known source of the narcotic drug opium – sourced from unripe poppy seedpods. An extremely addictive drug cocktail can be sourced from the Oriental Poppy, making this flower more addictive and dangerous than morphine. The popularity of Oriental Poppies also soared following Georgie O’Keefe’s 1928 famous “Oriental Poppies” painting. The Oriental Poppy has a long and rich medicinal history. And yes, the Oriental Poppy is the source of those small tasty black seeds enjoyed in combination with citrus flavored baking.
3. Lily Of The Valley
These small lilies are indeed flowers of stark contrast: the entire flower and plant is highly toxic, with even small amounts ingested causing vomiting and stomach pains; yet their sweet odor has made them popular in famous fragrances such as Christian Dior and Guerlain Muguet. These delicate bell-shaped flowers are loved for their beautiful white color against the deep green leaves. It is said that famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky (Composer of The Nutcracker) particularly loved these beautiful white lilies.
4. Calla Lily
The Calla Lily, literally translated meaning “beautiful lily” is widely found throughout Southern Africa. The Calla Lily is the national flower of the South Atlantic Island Saint Helena. With its large white waxy flowers and dark green arrowhead shaped leaves, these flowers are often used for both wedding and funeral bouquets. Although traditionally a white flower, new varieties including bright yellow, pink and dark red colors are widely found today. The green calla lily, the Green Goddess, is one of the few natural green flowers on Earth.
5. Rose
Native to the United States, roses were first formally bred by President George Washington. In 1986, the rose was proclaimed the National Flower of the United States. It is therefore no wonder that the United States has many close ties with roses and this beautiful flower remains a firm favorite for many. Around holidays, including Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and even Christmas, roses are particularly popular. Roses are flowers of sentiment - yellow roses are popularly associated with expressing friendship while red roses bear the message of love.
6. Carnation
In ancient times, carnations were known as the “flower of the gods.” Today, Colombia is the biggest commercial producer of carnation flowers. The floral trade particularly favors Carnations because this cut flower can last for quite a long time without withering. Traditionally, carnations were used as flavoring for several alcoholic beverages, including liquors and wine. Similar to roses, the color of carnations bears specific meaning: pink carnations resemble motherly love, light red means admiration and deep red is the sharing of deep love.
7. Water Lily
A beautiful water feature, the water lily is a large and colorful lily growing in ponds and other water sources. The water lily also serves an important ecological function – it provides fish with shade and is a resting spot for small frogs. Water lilies are tropical flowers, yet they are found throughout the world. The large floating flower, whether blue, white, yellow or mauve, is loved by many and is seen as a symbol of serenity.
8. Bluebells
Bluebells are Britain’s first sign that spring has arrived, and many people anxiously wait for the blooming of these beautiful small blue flowers every year. Scientists have discovered an interesting link between the blue bells and summer; the later their bloom, the more perfect the summer weather. Found in England’s magical woodlands, the Bluebells are loved for their sweet scent and immense beauty created by their woodland carpets of blue.
9. Cherry Blossom
Cherry blossoms adorn cherry trees early in the spring season. The cherry tree in blossom is an important traditional symbol in Japanese culture, although the blossoms are appreciated around the globe. Still, Japan beats the rest of the world when it comes to cherry blossoms and over 200 types of cherry blossom trees or Sakura as it is known in Japan can be found there. Cherry blossom time is also festival time for many countries and states, celebrating the start of a new and cheerful season.
10. Dahlia
Initially promoted as a vegetable rather than a flower due to its prominent tubers, Dahlias are still widely used as edible flowers today. The Dahlia flower belongs to the Aster family and is the National Flower of Mexico. Among competition breeders, Dahlias are prominent competition flowers. It is said that the famous Marie Antoinette was extremely impressed by Dahlias with their first arrival in Europe and till today, a Dahlia variety is named after the French Madame.
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