‘Earth laughs in flowers’, said Ralph Waldo Emerson, and rightly so. This is probably why we have so many different types of exotic flowers all over the globe.
Flowers infuse deep joy and color in our lives, and they have got to be one of God’s most beautiful gifts to mankind. A simple walk into a florist’s shop and you’ll find flower upon flower in all possible colors and styles stacked upon the shelves and counters. A mere glance will suffice to fill your heart with immense joy, not to mention the exquisite smells. Which is what brings us to the main topic at hand―exotic flowers. While all flowers are a thing of great beauty to look at, there are certain varieties that stand out―either because of their sporadic availability, their aromatic fragrances, or their brightly-hued colors and shapes.
In this Gardenerdy article, we will be listing out some of the best types of exotic flowers that you can look through and pick, either to send as a gift to brighten up someone’s day, or for adorning your lovely home.
Anthuriums
These flowers are native to tropical America. They are also known as Painted Tongue, Flamingo flower or the Tail Flower. Anthuriums are thick in structure and have a waxy feel as far as their texture is concerned. The colors of the Anthuriums can range from different shades of red and white to pink. This flower has a heart shape at its base and a long stem that develops from between the base upwards. It comes in a wide variety such as flowering, velvet leafed, palmate leafed, pendulous etc.
Birds of Paradise
The main characteristic of these exotic flowers is their unusual and beautiful shape. These are native to South Africa and are also known as Crane Flowers. These flowers usually bloom from September to May and are most usually orange in color. Along with being a flower, the name ‘Birds of Paradise’ is also shared by an attractive landscape plant. These flowers derive their name because of their unique shape―these flower resemble a brightly-colored bird in flight.
Calla Lily
This is a large and flaring flower that has a trumpet-shaped bract and comes in a variety of colors. Calla lilies are native to South Africa and are also known as the Arum Lily or the Trumpet Lily. The name of this flower comes from a Greek word, which means beautiful. These bloom during the late spring season.
Gardenias
The Gardenia flowers are usually white or pale yellow in color. These flowers are native to the tropical and the subtropical regions of Southern Asia, Africa, and Australia. One of the most popular types amongst the different types of exotic flowers, these are extremely fragrant and beautiful in their appearance. This flower has been named after Alexander Garden, who was a Scottish physician, botanist, and zoologist.
Heliconia
The heliconia flowers are also known as the Lobster Claw or the False Bird of Paradise. They are native to tropical America, west Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean Islands. Their distinctive feature is their beautiful and brightly-colored flowering bracts. At times these bracts can be so large that they tend to hide the visibility of flowers. These are also grown as landscape plants and they grow to a height of 3-30 feet. These types of flowers have been named after Mount Helicon.
Orchids
Orchids are also one of the most sought after and a rather expensive category of exotic flowers the world over. These are available in three main categories. They are mostly grown in all the continents except Antarctica. The colors of the Orchids depends upon their types―the African Orchids are white, whereas the Asian Orchids are multi-colored.
Lotus
The lotus flower is found in shades of bright to pale white, yellow, and pink. It is the National Flower of India. The lotus is known to grow in shallow and murky waters and is a very sacred flower for the Buddhists. The plant requires plenty of sunlight to thrive, which is why the flowers do not blossom during the winter months. These flowers are native to Asia and Australia.
Tulips
Tulips are some of the most popular flowers, owing to the breathtaking hues and shades of colors that they feature in. An exclusive spring flower, the tulips bloom between the months of March to May, with 3 different blooming time periods―Early flowering (March to April), Midseason flowering (April and May), and Late flowering (May). These flowers come in a variety of colors, shapes, and heights, and each of the 100 species bloom into large and showy flowers with 6 petals.
Oriental Lily
Oriental lilies appear in a wide array of colors that include pink, white, orange, yellow, and red. While many species have a single color, others might produce flowers with a base color and a secondary color in specks. These flowers bloom naturally in the time period from May till September and are exclusively grown in the Netherlands, Northwestern United States, and New Zealand. The flowers may be borne erect, drooping, or horizontal, and could also be funnel-shaped.
Gingers
The flowering gingers are a species of ginger that produce a brilliant, bright, red-hued flower that is used mainly for decorative purposes. This species is different from the edible ginger that is used in cooking, though there are certain parts of the flower that are edible and are made use of in certain exotic dishes. The ginger flower is also known as red ginger lily, wild ginger, torch lily, torch ginger, and wild ginger.
The plant is native to the Indo-Malaysia belt and the flowers are used in several occasions and celebration, ranging from headgears to garlands.
All these exotic flowers are not only a treat to look at, but are also an excellent gift to give someone. And with the advent of the Internet, it is pretty much possible to send these from anywhere to anyone.