Magnolia

Named after a French botanist by the name of Pierre Magnol, Magnolia is a genus of more than 200 species that evolved before bees, as the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. This is evidenced by the tough carpels of the Magnolia flower to prevent damage from crawling beetles and from fossilized specimens dating back to more than 20 million years ago. The flower blooms from the end of the tree's branches and has very primitive features, such as many stamen and pistils, spiraling rows of stamen and both stamens and pistils are attached to a fingerlike receptacle. Mississippi's state flower and tree is the Magnolia, and its state nickname is the "Magnolia State." Louisiana also shares the Magnolia as the state flower. The city of Houston, Texas, is also known as "The Magnolia City" after the abundance of these flowers growing along the Buffalo Bayou.

Marigold

Marigold can refer to several different species and genus of plants, but all within the family Asteraceae, which is the same family as Aster, Daisy and Sunflower. True Marigold, any plant in the species Tagetes, is known in parts as Mexican, African or French Marigold, and in the United States, as just Marigold. Native to the Southwestern United States, parts of Mexico and South America, the Marigold flower has both ray and disc florets and come in a range of yellows and oranges. Most Marigold have a strong, pungent odor and are often used in the remedy of skin problems.

Monkshood

Monkshood, also commonly known as Wolfsbane and Aconite, actually belongs to the Buttercup family. Growing natively in the mountainous parts of the northern hemisphere, this flower can be found in pink, purple, blue, white or yellow. Monkshood, named because the posterior sepal,the galea, forms a cylindrical helmet, or hood. Several species of Monkshood have poisonous roots, and its common name Wolfsbane comes from its rumored supernatural power to kill warewolves if they were to touch or ingest it, or to induce a lycanthropic condition.

Myrtle

Myrtle are star-shaped, usually white flowers with 5 petals and sepals that grow from evergreen bushes or trees. Native to Europe and North Africa, they are most commonly cultivated in the Mediterranean region. The leaves of the Myrtle plant are very armoatic, and the plant is used to produce a liquor on a few islands in the Mediterranean. Myrtle is also one of the 4 sacred plants of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, and worshippers hold the leaves of the Myrtle plant in the synagogue during the prayers. This plant is not to be confused with the crape-myrtle, which is another evergreen tree or shrub, but with very different flowers and belonging to a different family of plants.

Narcissus

Narcissus is the botanical name for Daffodils. Please see the Daffodil section for detailed information.

Nasturtium

Nasturtium are very popular as garden plants for their intensely bright color and beneficial use as a companion plant, but also their ability to survive in colder climates. These flowers have 5 or more brightly colored, rounded petals, and a funnel-shaped nectar tube in the back. Every part of this plant is edible, and the flowers are often times used in salads and garnishes to add a peppery taste.

Oleander

Growing from around dry stream beds, Oleander flowers sprout from an evergreen shrub or tree natively found in the Mediterranean and southern Asian regions. The white, pink or yellow flowers grow in clusters at the end of the plant's branches and are often sweetly scented. Oleanders have a 5-lobed corolla, except in the case of double varieties, with a fringe around the central tube. Showy and fragrant, through cultivation, this plant no longer resides in only warm, subtropical regions, but now can survive in areas with light frost. Don't let their beauty and fragrance fool you ... Oleander is one of the most poisonous plants in the world and potentially fatal due to numerous toxic compounds in the plant and flower.

Orange Blossom

Growing in spring, the Orange Blossom is a very fragrant, white flower found in small clusters on orange trees. The Orange Blossom is the state flower of Florida, and the flower itself is used in things such as a citris version or rosewater used often in Middle Eastern cuisine, tea when dried, and honey.

Orchid

Orchid is the common name for any species of plant in the Orchidaceae family, which is the largest family of flowering plants. With upwards of 25,000 different species of Orchid recognized today and growing at a rate of approximately 800 per year, there are roughly 4 times more species of orchid than there are mammals. Orchids can be found in almost any environment on earth, apart from deserts and glaciers, but the majority of these plants are found in the tropics. Orchids, regardless of species, can be identified by a highly modified petal, plane/bilateral symmetry (both halves are mirror images), extremely small seeds, and a fused stamen and carpels. The leaves of the plant can vary wildly based on habitat, and many species are prized for their leaves as ornaments. The Vanilla plant is also an Orchid.

A very popular Orchid in the floral trade, known for its large, showy flowers, is the Cattleya Orchid. The typical Cattleya Orchid has 3 petals -- two are fringed, and the third is the modified, enlarged, fringed petal that forms a lip at the end, and folds into a tube at the base. The modified and enlarged petal often has colorful markings and specks, and these flowers come in all colors except blue and black.

Cymbidium Orchids, also known as Boat Orchids, are a collection of 52 species within the Orchid family. These particular flowers are very popular with florists and flower afficionados for their multitude of colors, hardiness to cold, ability to bloom in winter, high density of blooms per plant (up to 15 or more) and has the most beautiful flowers of the Orchid family. Cybidiums have rounded sepals and petals of varying patterns and colors (a wide range of colors exluding black and blue) and the flowers last for around 10 weeks.

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