What’s in a name? There’s a lot in a name when it comes to flowers. To recognize flowers, it is important to know their names, place of origin, and some facts about the flowering plant. It will be difficult to explore a single list of names with thousands of flowers that exist on this planet. To make the task easier, here are flowers that start with M.
1.Magnolia
Scientific name: Magnoliaceae
Origin: China and Eastern Asia.
Magnolias are beautiful, large, cup-shaped, aromatic flowers that belong to the family Magnoliaceae. The genus consists of about 210 species and was named after
The French botanist Pierre Magnol. Magnolias grow as trees or shrubs, as evergreens or deciduous plants, depending on the location. Magnolia trees can grow up to ten feet tall and thrive well in moist, well-drained soil.
Magnolia flowers are extremely strong and find use in traditional medicine and food. In England, petals of the M. Grandiflora variety are pickled for using as a condiment. In various Asian cuisines, the buds are used for flavoring tea and flavoring rice. In Japan, fresh, young magnolia leaves and buds of the variety Magnolia hypoleuca are broiled and consumed as vegetables. Mature leaves are powdered for use as seasoning. Magnolia flowers symbolize purity, endurance, longevity, nobility, and perseverance. Magnolia is one of the prettiest flowers that start with M.
2.Maiden Pink
Scientific name: Dianthus deltoides
Origin: Europe (Mediterranean countries), West Asia
Maiden pink flowers resemble carnation blooms and blossom in shades of white and pink. Being hardy herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants, maiden pinks can grow in most kinds of soil. These flowers are often grown in rockeries and bordering edges of gardens. The dainty five-petal flowers bloom in spring and early summer. The edges of the petals are toothed and dotted with paler and darker spots than the color of the petals. Dianthus or maiden pink flowers are connected to the emotions of admiration, love, gratitude, and affection. For their ability of long-lasting freshness, maiden pink flowers are treasured as cut flowers.
3.Mallow
Scientific name: Malva
Origin: Europe, Asia, North Africa
Mallow flowers belong to the genus Malva, the family Malvaceae. Though a variety of these flowers grow around the temperate and tropical regions of the world, they have been given the common English name mallow. These herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants bear showy flowers in shades of red, pink, white, purple, orange, and yellow. These flowers are popular in cottage gardens and bordering hedges in gardens. Some popular kinds of mallow flowers are
- Malva Sylvestris or Mystic Merlin
- Malva Crispa
- Malva ‘Gibbortello’
- Malva Moschata
- Malva Moschata Alba
- Malva Verticillata
- Malva Mohileviensis
Mallow flowers are linked to a wide range of emotions like love and protection. They are also linked to youth, health, beauty, and fragility. There are different connotations in flower language for mallow in myths and legends.
4.Maltese Cross
Scientific name: Silene chalcedonica
Origin: Central and Eastern Russia, North-Western Asia
Maltese Cross flowers are known by several other names like Jerusalem cross, scarlet lychnis, the flower of Bristol, and nonesuch. These bright red flowers bloom in clusters of as few as ten to as many as fifty. The five-lobed petals each split further into two to form smaller lobes. The flowers bloom during summer. Maltese Cross varieties are perennial, low-growing, hardy plants that grow in well-drained, moist, soil.
5.Mandevilla
Scientific name : Mandevilla sanderi
Origin: Southwestern United States, Central America, South America, the West Indies,
Mandevilla is a genus of flowering vines that grow in tropical and subtropical regions. These plants belong to the family Apocynaceae. Mandevilla flowers are commonly known as rocktrumpets due to their large trumpet-shaped flowers. Bright and dark pink, red, yellow, or white Mandevilla flowers bloom on evergreen climbing vines that may grow to more than 20 feet. These flowers are often mildly fragrant. Mandevilla laxa, or Chilean jasmine, is an ornamental flowering plant belonging to the Mandevilla genus. Among the flowers that start with M, Mandevilla plants can be trained to grow and bloom in pots as well as trailing vines.
6.Manzanita
Scientific name: Arctostaphylos
Origin: Western North America, Mexico
Manzanitas include many species of the genus Arctostaphylos. The word manzanita is derived from the Spanish word ‘Manzana’ meaning apple. It is related to the apple-like fruits that manzanita plants bear. The leaves of these plants are wedge-shaped, shiny, bright green. Manzanita flowers are small, only about one-fourth of an inch. The cup-shaped white flowers hang upside down. Fruits of manzanita plants have been brewed for centuries to make cider.
7.Mammillaria Dixanthocentron
Scientific name: Mammillaria Dixanthocentron
Origin: Mexico
Mammillaria Dixanthocentron is a variety of cactus that belongs to the family Mammillarias. The flowers are pinkish purple. Flowering only happens when the plants are exposed to strong sunlight.
8.Marguerite Daisy
Scientific name: Argyranthemum frutescens
Origin: Canary Islands
Also known as cobbity daisy, or Paris daisy, Marguerite daisies are ornamental flowering plants that belong to the family same as the aster (Asteraceae). The daisy-like flowers bloom in a variety of colors, such as yellow, white, and pink. With a delightful, mild fragrance, several varieties of these flowers bloom in many different shapes.
9.Marigold
Scientific name: Tagetes
Origin: Mexico and Guatemala
The family name of marigold (Tagetes) comes from a mythical Etruscan deity. The name marigold however comes from the name Mary’s gold, a name by which similar flowering plants calendulas were known earlier. Marigolds are popular flowers in gardens due to their bright, cheerful yellow and orange color. These flowers blooming with warm hues attract bees and butterflies to gardens. There are several types of marigold flowers, some popular varieties are,
- African marigold
- French marigold
- Signet marigold
Marigold plants have fern-like green leaves. The flowers look like fireballs and have a strong scent. Marigold is one of the most commonly grown flowers that start with M and are used for worshipping and making garlands in many Asian countries.
10.Marsh Marigold
Scientific name: Caltha Palustris
Origin: Europe, North America
Although marsh marigold flowers bear the name marigold, they belong to a different family than real marigolds. This herbaceous plant variety is a member of the buttercup family. Another name for marsh marigold flowers is kingcup due to their cup-shaped flowers. The flowers are usually bright yellow and bloom in spring. The leaves have a peculiar heart- or kidney shape and are glossy and thick. These flowers grow in the wild in wet woodlands, marshes, and ditches. The small perennial plants are found mostly in the temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere.
11.Matthiola
Scientific name: Matthiola incana
Origin: Eurasia and southern Africa
Also popularly known as stock flowers, species of genus Matthiola belong to the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Several of these flowers are known for their fragrant flowers with a spicy hint. They are popular cut flowers. Some common species of Matthiola flowers are common stock, gilly-flower, brompton stock, ten-week stock, Virginia stock, and hoary stock. Stock flowers symbolize a happy life and contented existence. They bloom in a variety of colors including red, white, pink, lilac, and pink.
12.Marvel of Peru
Scientific name: Mirabilis jalapa
Origin: Central America
Also known as the beauty-of-the-night, and four-o-clock flower, Marvel of Peru is an ornamental flowering plant that blooms in the evening. The flowers bloom mostly in shades of red, pink, yellow in single shades, mottled, or with streaks. The botanical name of Marvel of Peru, Mirabilis jalapa has a deep-rooted meaning. The word mirabilis in Latin means ‘wonderful’. Jalapa, a place in Mexico is the state capital of Veracruz.
13.Maximilian sunflower
Scientific name: Helianthus maximiliani
Origin: USA, Central Canada
Maximilian sunflower is a species of sunflower that grows in North America. The flower derived its name from Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied. He was the first one to encounter this beautiful flower while traveling through North America and made it popular.
14.Mayflower
Scientific name: Epigaea repens
Origin: USA
Also known as trailing arbutus, ground laurel, and winter pink, mayflowers bloom in low, spreading shrubs belonging to the family Ericaceae. These flowers are usually found in the United States in the states of Florida, Kentucky. These tiny white wildflowers are highly fragrant. They blossom in shades of rosy pink, and white. Each flower has five-lobed petals, and the flowers bloom in dense clusters.
15.Meconopsis
Scientific name: Meconopsis betonicifolia
Origin: Asia
Often called the queen of the Himalayan flowers, Meconopsis betonicifolia is commonly known as the blue Himalayan poppy. This variety of poppy resembles other poppy varieties but is not a true poppy. The delicate poppy-like flowers bloom with striking shades of cool blue.
16.Monkshood
Scientific name: Aconitum napellus
Origin: North America, Europe, Asia
Monkshood flowers are known by several other names like aconite,Wolfsbane, women’s bane, queen of poisons, Friar’s cap, devil’s helmet, and blue rocket. The flowers in the shape of hoods hang from erect stalks. This species of herbaceous wildflower grows in mountain meadows in the Northern Hemisphere. The beautiful blue-purple, white, or yellow flowers are deadly poisonous. The flowers got the name ‘Wolfsbane’ as juice from the plant’s root was used for poisoning arrows during wars or to poison bait used for hunting.
17.Mahonia
Scientific name: Mahonia Aquifolium
Origin: Western North America
A striking evergreen shrub, Mahonia aquifolium is also commonly known as Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry. This species of flowering plant belongs to the family Berberidaceae. The flowers are bell-shaped, bright yellow, and bloom in clusters. The plants flower in spring and bear attractive round blue fruits.
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