Fun Facts About Flowers

Fun Facts About Flowers

There is a flower for every season, event, moment and for everyone. There are more varieties of flowers in the world than fruits or foods. While orchids may be extremely popular among the urban populaces that are accustomed with gifting them and also taking them up as a hobby, there is a vast world out there which is very less explored or known to most people on earth.

As fascinating as flowers are, there are some unbelievable and fun facts about them that are not only surprising but also educative. Fun facts about flowers are not just constrained to the types of flowers or orchids but also include tissue culture methods and pollination even.

Here are some common as well as little known fun facts about flowers.

• Orchids are the largest family among plants and flowers. There are more than 25000 species of orchids excluding the hybrids and clones developed by tissue culture methods.
• Orchids can have a lifetime of about a fortnight or more than 3 weeks even after being cut.
• Vanilla is derived from Vanilla planifolia which is a fruit of an orchid.
• More than 200,000 species of animals are responsible for pollination but more than 99% of them are insects.
• Rose, one of the most popular flowers known to man, is related to numerous fruits and seeds including apples, cherries and almonds.
• In the 1600s Holland, tulip bulbs were considered to be more valuable than the precious metal gold.
• Tulip bulbs can be used as an alternative to onions in many recipes.
• In 2002, the oldest flower in the world was discovered by scientists in China. It was known as Archaefructus sinensis and is believed to have been around 125 million years back.
• Many centuries back, glue was made from bluebell flowers’ juices.
• Dandelions are one of the best sources of vitamins A & C along with potassium, calcium and iron.
• Sunflowers sway all day in accordance to the sun moving to the west.
• Some gas plants exude a gas that can be lit. The inflammable gas is produced during warmer nights.
• Arrowroot which is a popular powder used in several delicacies is actually an extract of Marantha arundinacea. The plant is indigenous to India and was used in warfare to treat the wounded.
• Yarrow has been known to have healing and protective qualities. Right from Achilles to soldiers fighting in World War I used to be treated with yarrow tea.