70+ different, fresh flower names in English to make your vocab flourish

Author

Karolina Assi

Editor

Berlitz China

Flowers have always been the beauty of gardens and public parks. Not only do they look beautiful, but they also show our culture and tradition with their different colors and shapes.

They are the symbol of love and thanksgiving. We give flowers when we want to say I love you or express our thanks and gratitude.

But can you truly appreciate them without knowing their names? No matter whether you’re a beginner English learner or more advanced, learning the names of flowers in English will come in handy whenever you want to buy your mom a beautiful bouquet for Mother’s Day, send roses to your girlfriend, or put fresh tulips on your kitchen table.

Children running through a tulip garden.

Flowers in English

Hold your roses because we’ve got over 70 different flower names in English in this guide - from roses in English to sunflowers in English, and everything in between!

We organized these flowers into different categories, such as the most common flowers, national flowers of different countries, and funny flower names (we promise these are hilarious). For some categories, we’ve also included the scientific name of the flowers.

Ok, but first things first: “flower” in English is a countable noun, which means that you can use it both in the singular form (a flower) and the plural form (flowers).

Ready for a colorful explosion of flowers in English?

Flower names in English.

Most common flower names in English

Flower names in English are usually derived from the names of their genus, species, or variety. But don’t worry! Unless you’re a botanist, you don’t have to learn the scientific names of each flower. Most flowers have common names that are a simplified version of their full name - something like a nickname.

Here’s the list of 40+ most common flower names in English.

EnglishIPA PronunciationScientific Name
Acacia/ əˈkeɪʃə /Acacia
Aloe/ ˈæˌloʊ /Aloe
Alpenrose/ alpenrose /Rhododendron ferrugineum
Amaranth/ ˈæməˌrænθ /Amaranthus
American Lotus/ əˈmerɪkən ˈloʊtəs /Nelumbo lutea
Anise hyssop/ ˈænəs ˈhɪsəp /Agastache foeniculum
Azalea/ əˈzeɪljə /Rhododendron
Bearberry/ bearberry /Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Begonia/ bɪˈɡoʊnjə /Begonias tuberhybrida
Bluebell/ ˈbluːbel /Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Bluet/ ˈbluːɪt /Houstonia caerulea
Camellia/ kəˈmiːlɪə /Camellia sasanqua
Carnation/ karˈneɪʃn̩ /Dianthus caryophyllus
Catmint/ ˈkætˌmɪnt /Nepeta nervosa
Chrysanthemum/ krəˈsænθəməm /Chrysanthemum indicum
Common poppy/ ˈkɒmən ˈpɑːpi /Papaver rhoeas
Coneflower/ ˈkoʊnˌflɑːwər /Echinacea
Cupcakes white/ ˈkʌpkeɪks ˈwaɪt /Cosmos bipinnatus
Daffodil/ ˈdæfəˌdɪl /Narcissi
Dahlia/ ˈdæljə /Dahlia
Daisy/ ˈdeɪzi /Bellis perennis
Feverfew/ ˈfiːvərˌfjuː /Tanacetum parthenium
Flamingo flower/ fləˈmɪŋɡoʊ ˈflaʊər /Anthurium andraeanum
Hibiscus/ hɪˈbɪskəs /Hibiscus
Hyacinth/ ˈhaɪəˌsɪnθ /Hyacinthus
Hydrangea/ haɪˈdreɪndʒə /Hydrangea arborescens
Iris/ ˈaɪrəs /Iris
Lavender/ ˈlævəndər /Lavandula angustifolia
Lilac/ ˈlaɪˌlæk /Syringa
Lily/ ˈlɪli /Lilium
Marguerite/ ˌmɑːrɡəˈriːt /Argyranthemum frutescens
Marigold/ ˈmærɪɡoʊld /Tagetes
Moonflower/ ˈmuːnflaʊər /Ipomoea alba
Nightshade/ ˈnaɪˌtʃed /Solanaceae
Orchid/ ˈɔːrkəd /Orchidaceae
Peony/ ˈpiːəni /Paeonia officinalis
Petunia/ pəˈtuːniə /Petunia
Primrose/ ˈprɪmroʊz /Primula vulgaris
Rose/ roʊz /Rosa
Sunflower/ ˈsʌnˌflɑːwər /Helianthus
Thistle/ ˈθɪsl̩ /Cirsium
Tickseed/ tickseed /Coreopsis
Treasure flower/ ˈtreʒər ˈflaʊər /Gazania
Tulip/ ˈtuːləp /Tulipa
Violet/ ˈvaɪələt /Viola
Water lily/ wɔ:tər lɪli /Nymphaea
Wisteria/ wɪˈstɪərɪə /Wisteria frutescens

Funny names of flowers in English

Who’s Black-Eyed Susan, Busy Lizzie, and Flaming Katy? Although these sound like high-school nicknames for teenage girls, they’re actually… names of flowers in English!

And that’s not all the fun there is… we’ve also got baby’s breath, bleeding heart, and even the ghost of Miss Willmotts. You’ll forget-us-not with these hilarious flower names in English.

Funny names of flowers in English.

EnglishIPA PronunciationScientific Name
Baby’s breath/ ˈbeɪbiz ˈbreθ /Gypsophila paniculata
Bachelors button/ ˈbætʃlərz ˈbʌtn̩ /Centaurea cyanus
Balloon flower/ bəˈluːn ˈflaʊər /Platycodon grandiflorus
Black-eyed Susan/ blæk ˈaɪd ˈsuːzn̩ /Rudbeckia fulgida
Bleeding heart/ ˈbliːdɪŋ ˈhɑːrt /Dicentra spectabilis
Busy Lizzie/ ˈbɪzi ˈlɪzi /Impatiens walleriana
Butterfly bush/ ˈbʌtr̩flaɪ ˈbʊʃ /Buddleja davidii
Flaming Katy/ ˈfleɪmɪŋ ˈkeɪti /Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
Forget-me-not/ fəˈɡet mɪ nɑːt /Myosotis sylvatica
Kangaroo paw/ ˌkæŋɡəˈruː ˈpɒ /Anigozanthos flavidus
King’s mantle/ ˌkɪŋz ˈmæntl̩ /Thunbergia erecta
Love in a mist/ ˈlʌv ɪn ə ˈmɪst /Nigella damascena
Love lies bleeding/ ˈlʌv ˈlaɪz ˈbliːdɪŋ /Amaranthus caudatus
Miss Willmotts Ghost/ ˈmɪs willmotts ɡoʊst /Eryngium giganteum
Obedient plant/ oˈbiːdiənt ˈplænt /Physostegia virginiana
Shooting star/ ʃu:tɪŋ ˈstɑːr /Dodecatheon meadia
Snowy Angels Trumpet/ ˈsnoʊɪ ˈeɪndʒəlz ˈtrʌmpət /Brugmansia suaveolens

Handy floral vocabulary in English

Bees are known for their role in pollination.

English IPA Pronunciation
Bee/ ˈbiː /
Blossom/ ˈblɑːsəm /
Botanical garden/ bəˈtænɪkl̩ ˈɡɑːrdn̩ /
Bouquet/ buːˈkeɪ /
Florist/ ˈflɑːrəst /
Garden/ ˈɡɑːrdn̩ /
Leaves/ ˈliːvz /
Petals/ ˈpetl̩z /
Plant/ ˈplænt /
Pollen/ ˈpɑːlən /
Roots/ ˈruːts /
Seeds/ ˈsiːdz /
Spring/ ˈsprɪŋ /
Stem/ ˈstem /
Wildflowers/ ˈwaɪldˌflɑːwrz /

A bouquet of fun flower idioms

English-speakers LOVE idioms! These funny expressions are often the best way to convey a message. English has idioms for almost everything, and there’s no shortage of idioms with flowers.

Here are some of our favorites with their meanings:

  • A late bloomer = A person who’s often behind their peers in a particular area
  • A shrinking violet = A shy person
  • As fresh as a daisy = Full of energy, well-rested
  • A primrose path = A pleasant and easy way of life
  • To come out smelling roses = To overcome a difficult situation with a positive outcome
  • No bed of roses = A difficult, unpleasant situation
  • Under the rose = In secret
  • Wallflower = Someone who doesn’t participate during a party. They usually stand in the corner.

Stop and smell the roses

There are plenty of different, beautiful flowers in the world, and not all of them can be included here. But if you're looking to learn the names of the most common flowers in English, this list is sure to have something for everyone.

Whether you're seeking inspiration for a new bouquet or looking to put a little something extra in your greeting cards and letters, with this list of flower names, your possibilities are now endless.

And if you love fun and fresh articles, we recommend keeping up your English vocab journey on our free learn English blog.

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