
Flowers bring us joy! You can see flowers in homes, gardens, parks, and even in the wild. Often some flowers attract your attention and you desperately want to know their name and some facts about them. A wonderful way to gather knowledge about flowers is to make a glossary of flowers. Why not begin in an alphabetical order? Here is a list of flowers that start with A.

1.Acacia
Scientific name: Acacia
Origin: Africa, Australia
Acacia also known as wattle, mimosa, or thorn tree, or wattle, are shrubs and trees from the family Fabaceae. Acacia flowers are mostly yellow but sometimes white. Acacias are small, fuzzy globular flowers that grow in compact bunches or arrangements. They are often mildly fragrant. Acacias are umbrella-shaped, drought-tolerant plants that are found in various geographical locations and grow in deserts, rainforests, grasslands, sandy areas, and woodlands. Gum arabic, a resinous substance, derived from acacia plants is used in traditional medicine, pharmaceuticals, as a binder in art and craft, and food.

2.Acanthus
Scientific name:
Origin: Asia, Southern Europe, Africa
Acanthus or bear’s breeches is a genus of thirty species of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae. They are mostly found in tropical and warm temperate regions in Asia and the Mediterranean Basin. Acanthus flowers bloom on tall spikes. The geometric-shaped flowers are a symbol of eternal love. Acanthus flowers bloom in summer in a variety of colors. Acanthus are well known for their jagged foliage and find their place in architectural designs of the crowns on Corinthian columns.

3.Aconite
Scientific name: L. Aconitum napellus
Origin: Western and Central Europe
Aconite flowers are known by many different names like monkshood, mousebane, wolf’s-bane, devil’s helmet, leopard’s bane, women’s bane, queen of poisons, and blue rocket. Aconitum is a genus that includes 250 species of flowering plants. Though pretty to look at, the beautiful yet highly toxic aconite flowers are deadly when ingested.

4.African Lily
Scientific name: Agapanthus africanus
Origin: Africa
Also known as the ‘lily of the Nile’, the African lily is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis family). This ornamental flowering plant grows in warm climates. The flowers are large, funnel-shaped, and bloom in rounded clusters. The cluster of deep violet or blue flowers blooms on long stalks. Leaves of African lily plants are long, green, sword-shaped, and smooth. African lilies can be grown indoors as well as outdoors.

5.Alcea
Scientific name: Alcea rosea
Origin: South-Western Asia, China
Alcea, known popularly as hollyhocks, bloom profusely on tall spikes in a variety of colors. The most common varieties of alceas among the eighty species are biennials and survive for two years. Alcea plants grow tall and stand erect. The cup-shaped flowers bloom in shades of red, pink, blue, white, yellow, and purple. Alcea leaves are palmate-shaped, coarse, and green. Hollyhocks or alcea flowers symbolize the circle of life. The Egyptians often placed alcea wreaths with the mummified to help them complete their afterlife journey. These showy flowers also represent ambition, fertility, and abundance. In some cultures, alcea plants are grown near the front door to welcome prosperity.

6.Allium
Scientific name: Allium
Origin: Asia
Allium is a genus of flowering plants including over eight hundred species, such as cultivated onion, shallot, leek, garlic, scallion, and chives. Globe-shaped ornamental alliums or ornamental onions are grown in gardens to add a playful, dainty, and colorful look. Each globe-shaped flower consists of tightly packed small flowers. Alliums make excellent long-lasting, cut flowers. They grow in shades of violet, white, and yellow.

7.Aloe
Scientific name: Aloe Vera
Origin: Arabian Peninsula
The genus ‘aloe’ consists of more than five hundred species. The most common among them is aloe vera or ‘true aloe’. This evergreen, perennial, succulent species is widely distributed in semi-arid, tropical, and arid climates all around the world. They grow in the wild and are popularly cultivated for their medicinal properties. Aloe vera flowers are orange-red and rise from an inflorescence that stands erect above the showy rosettes. Aloe vera plants flower only when they are mature and that can take four to five years.

8.Amaranth
Scientific name: Amaranthus
Origin: Central America
Exotic, feathery, glamorous, and gaudy, amaranths are annuals that bloom during the warm season. The dense, velvety, drooping blooms on upright stems in reddish-rose color look like tassels. These flowers carry their color even when they are dry. The name amaranth comes from the Greek word meaning unfading. Amaranths are also known as pigweeds. Grains and leaves of various amaranth species are also used as food. Amaranth flowers are among the few edible flowers that start with A.

9.Amaryllis
Botanical Name: Amaryllis
Origin: South Africa
Among the two species of amaryllis, the better known is the amaryllis belladonna. The other one is Amaryllis paradisicola, a native of South Africa. These brilliantly colored, showy, bell-shaped flowers blossom during early winters. The word amarysso in Greek means ‘to sparkle’. Being true to their name, these elegant flowers symbolize determination, strength, beauty, and pride. This charming flower is also known by other names like Easter lily, Jersey lily, Naked-lady-lily, and March Lily, according to the season they bloom in. It is one of the most popular flowers that start with A.
Amaryllis flowers can be seen in single colors like bright red, dark red, and pink and bicolor like red and white, and purple-green.

10.Anemone
Scientific name: Actiniaria
Origin: Japan
Anemones are perennials that belong to the family Ranunculaceae, the same as buttercups. There are more than a hundred species of anemones that bloom from spring through summer. Anemones are also called windflowers and bloom in a range of bright colors.
Anemones grow throughout the world often as wildflowers in woodlands and meadows of temperate zones in the northern hemisphere. Many varieties are grown in gardens for their delicate-looking, pretty flowers. The flowers can be shaggy with as few as four sepals or may be dense with as many as twenty-seven sepals. The flowers bloom on flat-topped inflorescence or cymes of two to nine flowers.
Many varieties of anemone flowers look similar to poppies. Some of the popular anemone varieties are –
- De Caen Anemones
- Mr. Fokker
- Hollandia
- Bordeaux
- The Bride
- Queen Charlotte
- Honorine Jobert
- Serenade
- Montrose
- Richard Ahrens
- Praecox
- Pallida

11. Anthurium
Scientific Name: Anthurium andraeanum
Origin: Central and South America
Anthurium, laceleaf, tailflower, or flamingo flowers are perennials that bloom throughout the year. They are admired for their unique shape. Several varieties of anthuriums are grown as houseplants or in greenhouses worldwide. They have a slow growth rate but for their ornamental look, they find a place on tables and flower arrangements. The flowers are heart-shaped, with a waxy bright look. A red or yellow tail-like spike grows from each flower. Due to the peculiar open heart shape, these flowers are considered great hospitality gifts. Due to their long-lasting characteristics, they are considered a sign of abundance.

12.Aster
Scientific name: Asteraceae
Origin: Temperate regions of Eurasia
The genus aster includes perennial flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. Each aster blossom is a combination of many small tubular blooms. They are all held together by a yellow disk-like center. Some varieties of asters resemble daisies.
Also known as Michaelmas Daisy, these star-shaped flowers have an interesting story. According to Greek mythology, the aster flower was created from the tears of goddess Astraea, the Greek goddess, of purity and precision. The word Astraea means star-maiden. The goddess, saddened by the few stars in the sky, cried and created the beautiful star-shaped aster flower on earth.
Aster flowers bloom in shades of red, pink, lilac, mauve, and white. Like most flowers that start with A, aster flowers are also connected to some emotions. Aster flowers symbolize elegance, love, faith, devotion, wisdom, patience, and beauty.

13.Arum-Lily
Scientific name: Zantedeschia aethiopica
Origin: Southern Africa
Also known as calla lily, arum-lily is a species of perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Araceae. These trumpet-shaped flowers with a yellow spike in the middle, are easy to grow and care for. Arum lilies or calla lilies play an important role in the Christian Easter service. They symbolize the resurrection of Jesus. This fower is associated with purity, holiness, and faith. In some cultures, it is linked with life and fertility whereas in some others it is connected to death. In ancient Greek culture, the arum lily symbolized magnificent beauty. Arum lilies may have a sweet smell or an unpleasant scent depending on the variety. Arum lilies are among the few flowers that start with A and are connected to religious beliefs.

14. Astilbe
Scientific name: Astilbe
Origin: Asia, North America
Astilbe is a genus of eighteen species of perennial flowering plants from the family Saxifragaceae. Astilbe flowers look like plumes on long, upright stalks with showy, fern-like foliage. Astilbes make excellent cut flowers and grow in a variety of colors like red, pink, lavender, white, and violet. Astilbe flowers symbolize patience and dedication to the loved one, making them extremely popular flowers for wedding arrangements.

15.Azalea
Scientific name: Rhododendron
Origin: Japan, China, North America
Azalea belongs to the genus Rhododendron which consists of a thousand species of evergreen and deciduous shrubs and small trees. The genus name interestingly translates into the meaning ‘rose tree’ (rhodon in Greek means rose and dendron means tree). They belong to the family Ericaceae and can be found in Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia. Azalea flowers bloom in different seasons depending on their variety and location. They are showy, bell-shaped flowers that are sometimes fragrant. Bell-shaped, azalea flowers bloom in different colors like red, orange, white, yellow, and pink.