Top 10 Famous Flowers in the World

What are the ten most famous flowers in the world? How are the top ten renowned flowers ranked globally? What are the most popular flowers worldwide?

Flowers are herbaceous plants with aesthetic value, universally appreciated as ornamental plants. Each country and city has its own national and municipal flowers, respectively. Besides their visual appeal, flowers also hold cultural and medicinal values.

This article is set to list the top ten famous flowers in the world, offering a glance at these globally beloved blooms!

1. Rose

Scientifically known as Rosa rugosa Thunb, the rose is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Rosaceae family and Rosa genus. Its stems are covered in prickles, with odd-pinnate compound leaves comprised of 5-9 leaflets, which are elliptical and have serrated edges.

The petals are ovate, with fully double to semi-double blossoms, available in colors such as purple-red and white. It bears fruit in a flat spherical shape during August and September. Its branches are somewhat weak, soft, drooping, and densely prickly.

As it blooms only once a year, it is seldom used in breeding; its most notable traits are its disease resistance and cold tolerance.

The rose is a highly admired flower among all floral species. For centuries, the rose has been revered. Historical evidence suggests they grew in China about 5,000 years ago and have played a part in history since.

Whether it’s ancient Greeks, Romans, Christians, Freemasons, or others, the rose has always been a timeless symbol of love, beauty, and equality.

Even though each color expresses love, beauty, and balance slightly differently, the main message remains love. The rose carries many different meanings depending on its color, but any rose can typically symbolize love, honor, faith, beauty, balance, passion, wisdom, intrigue, dedication, decadence, and eternity.

In many European languages, the terms for rose are identical, such as ‘rose’ in English and ‘Die Rose’ in German. The rose is the national flower of 14 countries, including the UK and the US.

In a general sense, “rose” has become the common name for several species of the Rosa genus. In fact, hybrid roses result from the cross-breeding of various species within the Rosa genus.

2. Tulips

Tulips (scientific name: Tulipa cv.) are a collective term for all cultivated varieties of the Tulip genus in the Lily family. They are bulbous plants.

The bulb scale is papery, with a few hidden hairs at the top and base on the inside surface. The stem is erect, smooth, coated with white powder, emerald green, and in some varieties, yellow or reddish-brown. It has 3-5 leaves that are lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate.

The flower is single, large, and bright, blooming at the top; the flower shape is peculiar, with forms such as cup-shaped, bowl-shaped, goblet-shaped, butterfly-shaped, star-shaped, etc.

They come in single-petal, double-petal, and semi-double petal varieties; the flower edges can be smooth, wavy-toothed, jagged, notched, fringed, etc.; some flowers have spots, stripes, or edgings.

The colors range from white, pink, bright red, dark red, deep red, purplish-red, light yellow, orange-yellow, deep yellow, light purple, deep purple, dark green, dark brown, to black. They measure 5-7 cm in length and 2-4 cm in width. There are 6 stamens of equal length, the filaments are hairless; there is no pistil, but the stigma is enlarged and cockcomb-shaped.

Tulips are native to the Mediterranean coastline and Central Asia, influenced by the Mediterranean climate, forming an adaptation to a climate that is warm and humid in winter, and cool and dry in summer.

They prefer cool, moist, sun-facing, and wind-protected environments. They like humus-rich, loose and fertile, well-drained slightly acidic sandy soil.

Tulips are classified into 15 groups. Several groups were already determined in the early 18th century for commercial production. There are about 3,500 tulip varieties worldwide, but there are only about 150 kinds for mass production.

Tulips are famous ornamental flowers because of their unique flower shape and beautiful colors. They have a high ornamental value and are loved by people all over the world. They are widely cultivated around the world.

3. Plum

Plum (scientific name: Armeniaca mume Sieb.) is a small tree, rarely a shrub, reaching 4-10 meters in height. Its bark is light gray or greenish, smooth, and its small branches are green and hairless. The leaves are oval or elliptic, with small sharp serrations on the edge and are grayish-green in color.

Flowers are either solitary or sometimes 2 are born within 1 bud, with a diameter of 2-2.5 centimeters, they have a strong fragrance and bloom before the leaves; the flower calyx is usually reddish-brown, but some varieties have a green or green-purple calyx; the petals are obovate and range from white to pink.

The fruit is nearly spherical, with a diameter of 2-3 centimeters, it is yellow or green-white in color, covered with soft hairs, and tastes sour; the pulp adheres to the core; the core is elliptic and slightly flat on both sides. The flowering period is in winter and spring, and the fruit period is from May to June.

Plums originated in southern China and have been cultivated for over three thousand years. There are many varieties, whether for ornamental or fruit trees.

Many types are not only cultivated outdoors for viewing but can also be grown as potted plants and used to make plum piles. Essential oils can be extracted from fresh flowers, and the flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds can all be used for medicinal purposes.

The fruit can be eaten, pickled, or smoked into black plum for medicinal use, which has the effects of relieving cough, diarrhea, promoting salivation, and quenching thirst. Plums can also resist nematode damage and can be used as rootstock for stone fruit trees.

Plum blossom is the first of the top ten famous flowers in China, it is listed as one of the “Four Gentlemen” along with orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, and is referred to as the “Three Friends of Winter” together with pine and bamboo.

In traditional Chinese culture, the plum, with its noble, strong, and modest character, inspires people to be ambitious and industrious. In severe cold, the plum blooms first among hundreds of flowers, dominating the world with the arrival of spring.

4. Sakura

Sakura (scientific name: Cerasus sp.) is a general term for several species of plants in the cherry genus of the Rosaceae family. In the newly revised “Flora of China”, it specifically refers to “Tokyo Sakura”, also known as “Japanese Sakura”.

There are a large number of Sakura varieties, numbering over three hundred, with about 150 species of wild Sakura in the world, and more than 50 species in China. Of the about 40 wild ancestral species of Sakura in the world, 33 are native to China. The others are varieties derived through horticultural hybridization.

Sakura originated in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere around the Himalayas and grows all over the world, mainly in Japan. Each branch bears 3 to 5 flowers in an umbel-like inflorescence. The petals are emarginate at the apex, and the flower color is mostly white or pink. The flowers often bloom in March at the same time as or after the leaves.

As the seasons change, Sakura flowers are fragrant and beautiful and are often used for garden viewing. Sakura can be divided into single-petaled and double-petaled types; single-petaled types can bloom and bear fruit, while double-petaled types mostly do not bear fruit.

According to literature, Sakura was cultivated in Chinese imperial gardens more than two thousand years ago during the Qin and Han dynasties.

In the Tang Dynasty, Sakura became common in private courtyards. At that time, envoys from all countries, including Japan, brought Sakura back to their homelands, and it has a history of more than 1,000 years in Japan. Sakura symbolizes passion, purity, and nobility, and is revered as the national flower of Japan.

5. Hyacinth

Hyacinth (scientific name: Hyacinthus orientalis L.) is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant. Its bulb is egg-shaped, with a membranous outer skin, and the skin color correlates positively with the flower color.

It looks like a large garlic before flowering. The Hyacinth is native to the Mediterranean coast and the region of Asia Minor, and it is one of the most fragrant plants discovered in studies. It enjoys a sunny and relatively moist growing environment, with requirements for good drainage and fertile sandy loam soil.

There are over 2,000 horticultural varieties of hyacinth worldwide, mainly divided into “Dutch varieties” and “Roman varieties”.

The former are authentic varieties, with the vast majority growing only one flower spike per plant, showing a sturdy posture with larger flowers.

The latter are mostly variant hybrids, with each plant able to grow two or three flower spikes, showing a weaker posture with smaller flowers. Most consumers prefer Dutch hyacinths.

6. Lotus

Lotus (scientific name: Nelumbo nucifera), also known as water lily, belongs to the order of Nymphaeales and the family of Nelumbonaceae. It is a perennial aquatic herb. The underground stem is long and thick, with long nodes, and the leaves are shield-round.

It blooms from June to September. The flowers are singly born at the top of the flower stem, with numerous petals embedded in the torus cavity. They come in colors such as red, pink, white, purple, or patterned and edged. The nutlets are elliptical and the seeds are oval.

There are many types of lotus, which are divided into ornamental and edible categories. Originally native to tropical and temperate regions of Asia, it was recorded as being cultivated in China as early as the Zhou Dynasty.

The lotus is valuable in its entirety: the lotus root and seeds are edible, while the seeds, rhizomes, nodes, leaves, flowers, and seed germ can be used medicinally. Its character of “rising out of the mud but not being stained” is often praised.

The quote “Lotus leaves extend to the sky endlessly green, lotus blossoms bathed in sunlight present a unique red” is a true portrayal of the beauty of the lotus.

The noble character of the lotus, “communicating inside and out, not creeping or branching, emerging from the mud without being stained, washing clear and not demonizing”, has been one of the themes of poetry and painting throughout history.

In May 1985, the lotus was rated as one of the top ten famous flowers in China. It is also the national flower of India and Vietnam.

7. Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum (scientific name: Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family and Chrysanthemum genus in botanical taxonomy.

Depending on the cultivation form, there are different cultivation types such as multi-headed chrysanthemums, single chrysanthemums, large chrysanthemums, cliff chrysanthemums, art chrysanthemums, and desk chrysanthemums.

According to the appearance of the petals, they can also be divided into cultivation types such as embracing, backward embracing, reverse embracing, chaotic embracing, heart-exposing embracing, and flying embracing. Various varieties of chrysanthemums are named within different types.

Chrysanthemum is one of the top ten famous flowers in China, one of the “Four Gentlemen” (plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum) in flowers, and also one of the four major cut flowers in the world (chrysanthemum, rose, carnation, and gladiolus), ranking first in production.

Due to the chrysanthemum’s character of being proud in the face of cold and snow, we have Tao Yuanming’s famous lines, “Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountain”.

In China, there is a tradition of admiring chrysanthemums and drinking chrysanthemum wine during the Double Ninth Festival. In ancient myths and legends, chrysanthemums were also endowed with auspicious and longevity meanings.

Chrysanthemum is a valuable ornamental flower that has been cultivated through long-term artificial selection. Around the 8th century AD, chrysanthemums for ornamental purposes were introduced from China to Japan.

In the late 17th century, Dutch traders brought Chinese chrysanthemums to Europe, then it was introduced to France in the 18th century and North America in the mid-19th century. Since then, Chinese chrysanthemums have spread all over the world.

8. Lavender

Lavender (Latin scientific name: Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) is a semi-shrub or dwarf shrub of the Lamiaceae family and Lavandula genus. It’s branched and covered with star-shaped fluff. The leaves are linear or lanceolate-linear, larger on the flowering branches, sparse, smaller on the new branches, clustered.

The base gradually narrows into an extremely short petiole, entire, with margins curled outwards, and the midrib is raised below, with side veins and reticulate veins not obvious. The inflorescence is umbellate, with numerous flowers clustered into discontinuous or nearly continuous spikes at the top of the branches.

The flowers are blue, densely covered with gray, branched or unbranched fluff. The calyx is ovoid tubular or nearly tubular, and the corolla is about twice the length of the calyx. The entire plant has a light fragrance, slightly woody and sweet.

Lavender is originally from the Mediterranean coast, various parts of Europe, and the islands of Oceania, later widely cultivated in the UK and Yugoslavia.

Its beautiful and elegant leaf shape and flower color, and the tall and beautiful blue-purple flower spikes, make it a new perennial cold-resistant flower in the courtyard, suitable for flower bed cluster planting or strip planting, and can also be potted for ornamental purposes.

9. Peony

Peony (scientific name: Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is a plant of the Dicotyledon class, Paeonia family, and Paeonia genus. It’s a perennial deciduous shrub with a stem that can reach up to 2 meters in height. Its branches are short and thick.

The leaves are usually twice ternate compound leaves, with a green surface, no hairs, and a light green back, sometimes with white powder. The petiole is 5-11 cm long and the leaf axis is hairless.

The flower is solitary at the top of the branch, with 5 bracts, elongated oval; 5 sepals, green, wide oval, 5 petals or double petals, rose, purple-red, pink to white, usually highly variable, inverted oval, the top is irregular wavy; anther oval, 4 mm long; the disc is leathery, cup-shaped, purple-red; pistil 5, densely hairy. The peony blooms in May; the fruit period is June.

The color of the flower is bright and gorgeous, with a reputation as the “king of flowers”. Among the cultivated types, according to the color of the flowers, it can be divided into hundreds of varieties.

Peonies have many varieties and colors, with yellow, green, flesh red, dark red, and silver red being the best, especially yellow and green. The peony flower is large and fragrant, so it is also known as “the national color is heavenly.

During the Tang Dynasty, Liu Yuxi wrote a poem: “The peony in the front yard has no pattern, and the lotus on the pond lacks emotion. Only the peony is the true national color, and when the flower blooms, it moves the capital.”

In the late Qing Dynasty, the peony was once regarded as China’s national flower. In May 1985, the peony was rated as one of the top ten famous flowers in China. It is a unique woody precious flower in China, with thousands of years of natural growth and more than two thousand years of cultivation history.

It is widely cultivated in China and has been introduced all over the world. The peony is revered as the king of flowers, and the related culture and paintings are very rich.

On July 15, 2019, the China Flower Association issued a “Vote: My Heart’s National Flower”, soliciting public intentions for China’s national flower. As of 24:00 on July 22, 2019, the total number of votes was 362,264, and the peony won with a high vote of 79.71%.

10. Orchid

Orchid (scientific name: Cymbidium ssp.): It’s an epiphytic or terrestrial herb. It has several to many leaves, usually growing at the base or lower nodes of the pseudobulb, in two rows. The leaves are band-shaped or rarely inverted lanceolate to narrow elliptical, usually with a wide sheath at the base enclosing the pseudobulb and having nodes.

The racemose inflorescence has several or many flowers, with colors ranging from white, pure white, white-green, yellow-green, pale yellow, light yellow-brown, yellow, red, blue, to purple.

The orchids in China’s traditional famous flowers only refer to several terrestrial orchids distributed in the genus Orchid in China, such as Spring Orchid, Hui Orchid, Jian Orchid, Mo Orchid, and Han Orchid, commonly referred to as “Chinese Orchids”.

These kinds of orchids are very different from the large and brightly colored tropical orchids. They don’t have eye-catching colors or large flowers and leaves, but they have a simple and quiet, elegant, and noble temperament that fits the aesthetic standards of Eastern people. It has a cultivation history of over a thousand years in China.

Chinese people have always regarded orchids as a symbol of elegance and nobility, and together with “plum, bamboo, chrysanthemum”, they are collectively referred to as the “Four Gentlemen”. Usually, “orchid chapter” is used to describe the beauty of poetry and literature, and “orchid friendship” is used to describe the truth of friendship.

Orchids are also used to express pure love, “the temperament is like an orchid, it will not change forever, the heart is like an orchid, it will never move”, “find the secluded orchid to tell my close friend, give a branch as a gift in the dream of Xiao and Xiang”. In May 1985, orchids were rated as one of the top ten famous flowers in China.