Finding the name of a mystery flower can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s often a frustrating task. Where do you start?
If you’re doing an online search, two other keywords besides color can be helpful:
- A flower’s habitat. Is it growing in a meadow? a pine forest? a bog? on a lakeshore? a seashore?
- The English or Latin name of the flower’s family. There are 7 floral families (listed below), each with a specific set of characteristics.
Mustard Family – Cruciferae
– 4 petals
– seedpods follow a radial pattern around the stalk
– pods open from both sides to expose a clear membrane in the middle
– all edible
Mint Family – Labiatae
– 5 united petals
– square stalks
– leaves grow opposite one another
– usually aromatic
– all edible as long as they smell minty
Pea or Legume Family –
Leguminosae
– irregular shaped flowers with 5 petals
– pea-like pods
– pinnate leaves
– vary from being barely edible to barely poisonous
Lily Family – Liliaceae
– flowers with parts in 3s with 6 stamens
– sepals and petals identical
– parallel leaf veins
– produce bulbs
– some edible, some poisonous
Mallow Family –
Malvaceae
– 5 separate petals
– column of stamens in middle of flower
– moist and sticky texture
– edible
Aster or Sunflower Family –
Compositae
– composite flowers
– disk-like head
– each petal is an individual flower
– edible
Parsley or Carrot Family –
Apiaceae or Umbelliferae
– radially symmetrical (5 petals, sepals and stamens)
– compound umbrella-like design
– usually hollow flower stalks
– many are not safe for eating and can be deadly
You may still have to look at several images before you’re able to find the exact flower, but these keywords should help you narrow your search. At the very least, you should be able to identify its family. Good luck!
For more information on floral families, see:
Learning to Identify Plants by Families
For more information on flowers in northern North America, see:
Ontario Wildflower
Flandrum Hill 
Well that’s interesting. I might get the hang of this stuff yet.
Gerry, something tells me it must be more complicated than this, but at least it clears a bit of the mist surrounding the naming of flowers.
Wonderfully informative post. I should copy it and keep it safe.
This is a site you might enjoy. It’s good for identifying unknown specimens – trees and shrubs and such.
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/idit.htm
Thanks for the excellent link Bella Rum. It’s helpful for identifying trees as well.
That was fascinating! I had a quick peek at the website link you give us – it looks amazing! I wonder how / whether this applies to the plants that grow down here in South Africa?
Reggie, that link is full of useful information. I didn’t think it was restricted to North America. See if it helps you identify those multicolored flowers that we weren’t able to identify earlier this season. I wasn’t able to count their petals.
The information acquired has sadly helped me realize why some baby bunnies born in the rosebushes may have died on the lawn without any signs of trauma last summer. There are also some Star of Bethlehem flowers growing beneath those bushes. They are in the lily family and their bulbs are poisonous. I wouldn’t be surprised if the bunnies nibbled on them 😦
I was thinking on this theme last evening and I resolved to search the World Wide Web for more info. Your blog came up in my search and I’m impress what you have written on this theme. As I’m currently extending my search and thus cannot add further, however, I’ve bookmarked it and will be returning to further comment. Like I said, love this comment and will be back soon.