12 Interesting facts you didn't know about flowers

We all know flowers for their irreplaceable beauty and beguiling scents. While some exhibit hidden healing properties and unusual characteristics, others hold religious or historical significance. Therefore, it’s safe to say flowers have a ton of little secrets lurking. For instance, did you know?

1. Almost every flower symbolises something special. For instance, the Begonia means deep-thinking, Rosemary represents remembrance and Daisies symbolize innocence. But be careful - receiving an inverted flower indicates the opposite of the normal meaning.
2. Scientists found a fossil called Archaefructus Sinensis, which is thought to have blossomed about 125 million years ago. It’s claimed to be the oldest flower in the world and called the “the mother of all flowers”
3. The Sumatran native called Titan Arum is the world’s largest flower with a height of 15 ft and 3 ft in width. A single leaf is believed to grow to the size of a small tree. The same bloom is also the smelliest flower, as it emits a very unpleasant odour, much like of a decaying body – which is why it is also known as corpse flower.
4. The Lotus has often represented beauty, grace and purity – but did you know Egyptians also believed it was a sacred flower which symbolises eternal life? This is because the flower is able to lay dormant for years - even during the most harsh conditions - and bloom again with some water.
5. Billions of Tulips grow every year and are the biggest sellers in the world. You’d think because of its plentiful supply, the price would be relatively cheap however back in the 17th century, they would cost more than $2000 for just a single bulb. There was a phase in Western Europe called “Tulip mania” when tulips became so expensive and were treated as a form of currency, even more valuable than gold. Nowadays, tulips are a bit more reasonably priced. Send a loved one a bouquet from our Tulip Collection.
6. Another fun fact about tulips? Tulip bulbs can be replaced for onions in recipes! You won’t be able to tell the difference.
7. Burning Bush are great flowers to keep around as they’re quite cooling, especially on warm nights. But along with their appealing and delicate blooms they’re also called Gas Plants because they produce a colourless gas which resembles a strong scent of lemon, and is flammable.
8. We all grew up thinking Broccoli is a vegetable - but it’s not! Broccoli is a part of the brassica family and is technically considered a flower, which also includes cauliflowers and cabbages. Broccoli was distinguished as a vegetable because it is usually harvested at the period when the flower buds haven’t yet bloomed.
9. Did you know that the roses extend to a bigger family that consists of more than just flowers? They include apples, raspberries, nectarines, peaches, cherries, pears, plums, even almonds!
10. We know sunflower seeds are rich in oil, but did you know sunflowers also save lives? Over the years, the stems of sunflowers have been used to fill life jackets as its roots remove radioactive contaminants by up to 95%.
11. The agave plant can flourish for years on end without growing any flowers, but towards the end of its lifespan it produces a single flower and dies. This is why it’s often called “the century plant”.
12. While many flowers need at least a little sunshine to thrive, moon flowers have a peculiar blooming pattern. They open by evening and bloom at night in the light of the moon.

Do you have another fun flower fact to tell us? Share it with us on Facebook or on Instagram using the hashtag #AlwaysInterflora and #InterfloraAU.