Flowers for worship and offerings
Laid before gods and shrines, strung for temples, carried in procession.
RoseRosa
Woody perennial plants with showy, often fragrant flowers in many colours
Rosa · Wildflower
BirchBetula
Slender trees with papery bark found across the northern world
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower
JasmineJasminum
A group of fragrant shrubs and vines with white or yellow star-shaped flowers
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 7 more · Wildflower
Chrysanthemum菊花
Autumn-blooming flower with thousands of varieties, cherished in East Asia and beyond
🇨🇳 China and 6 more · Wildflower
Sacred lotusNelumbo nucifera
The pink aquatic flower sacred in Asia and grown for food, worship and beauty
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Water flower
Narcissus
Spring-flowering bulbs with trumpet-shaped blooms in white, yellow, and orange
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 7 more · Wildflower
Hibiscus
A tropical genus with large, colourful trumpet-shaped flowers
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Wildflower
Thorn-appleDatura stramonium
A poisonous, night-blooming plant with trumpet-shaped white or violet flowers
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Wildflower
Bay laurelLaurus nobilis
Evergreen tree with aromatic leaves used as bay leaf in cooking
🇬🇷 Greece and 9 more · Flowering tree
WaterlilyNymphaea
Floating aquatic flowers found in ponds and lakes worldwide
🇪🇬 Egypt and 7 more · Water flower
PoinsettiaEuphorbia pulcherrima
The red-bracted shrub of Christmas displays, native to Mexico and Central America
🇲🇽 Mexico and 8 more · Wildflower
MarigoldTagetes
A group of bright annual and perennial flowers known worldwide as marigolds
🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower
CarnationDianthus caryophyllus
A fragrant flower with ruffled petals, grown worldwide for decoration and meaning
🇨🇳 China and 7 more · Garden flower
Water-lily familyNymphaeaceae
Floating aquatic plants with showy flowers and round leaves
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 2 more · Wildflower
Datura
A group of trumpet-shaped, highly toxic flowering plants in the nightshade family
🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower
HyacinthHyacinthus
A spring-blooming bulb with fragrant, colourful flower spikes
🇹🇷 Turkey and 7 more · Bulb flower
BaelAegle marmelos
A spiny tree with fragrant yellow-green flowers and hard-shelled aromatic fruit
🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Flowering tree
LotusNelumbo
Aquatic plants with large, round leaves and striking flowers called lotus
🇮🇳 India and 7 more · Water flower
Plumeria
Fragrant tropical tree with waxy, five-petaled flowers in many colours
🇲🇽 Mexico and 6 more · Flowering tree
Ylang-ylangCananga odorata
A tropical tree with highly fragrant yellow flowers used for perfume and decoration
🇻🇳 Vietnam and 8 more · Flowering tree
Indian fig opuntiaOpuntia ficus-indica
A large, spiny cactus grown for its sweet fruit and edible pads
🇲🇽 Mexico and 7 more · Wildflower
HollyIlex
Evergreen trees and shrubs with red berries, known for winter and Christmas use
Ilex · Wildflower
Holy basilOcimum tenuiflorum
A fragrant herb central to Hindu worship and Southeast Asian cooking
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 6 more · Herb or useful flower
Calendula
Golden daisy-like flowers used in food, dye, and rituals
Calendula · Wildflower
Small-leaved LimeTilia cordata
A tall, fragrant-flowered tree native to much of Europe
🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 6 more · Flowering tree
Decoration
BeltaneBealtaine / Là Bealltainn / Boaltinn
The Gaelic May Day festival with bonfires and yellow flower decorations
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 more · Custom, May
Star jasmineJasminum multiflorum
A white, scentless jasmine used in Indian weddings and worship
🇮🇳 India and 6 more · Wildflower
Decoration
May Day Festival
A spring festival with flowers, greenery, maypoles and bonfires on the first of May
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 more · Custom, May
Philippine violetBarleria cristata
A small shrub with violet, pink, or white funnel-shaped flowers
🇨🇳 China and 5 more · Flowering shrub
YellowhornXanthoceras sorbifolium
A hardy flowering tree from northern China with edible seeds and fragrant white blooms
🇨🇳 China and 2 more · Flowering tree
Decoration
Pushpanjaliपुष्पाञ्जलि
A flower offering in Hindu worship and classical dance
Offering or rite
Decoration
Well dressing
Decorating wells with flower petal pictures in rural England
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Month-long Catholic customs honouring Mary with flowers, altars, and processions
🇮🇹 Italy and 7 more · Custom, May
Decoration
Rangoliरंगोली
Indian floor art made with coloured powders, rice, or petals for festivals and daily welcome
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Carpet or floor pattern
Decoration
Garland
A string or braid of flowers, leaves, or other materials for decoration or ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 3 more · Garland or wreath
Decoration
Pichhwai
Large painted cloths showing Krishna, hung in temples for worship and festivals
🇮🇳 India · Art or design
Aztec marigoldTagetes erecta
The golden-yellow flower of Mexican altars and Day of the Dead offerings
🇲🇽 Mexico and 6 more · Wildflower
Decoration
Day of the DeadDía de (los) Muertos
Mexico’s festival of remembrance with altars, marigolds, and sugar skulls
🇲🇽 Mexico · Custom, November
Decoration
Rose waterگلاب
Flavoured water made by steeping or distilling rose petals
🇮🇷 Iran and 2 more · Offering or rite
Decoration
rose oil
Essential oil distilled from rose petals, prized in perfume and tradition
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 4 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Ashtamangalaअष्टमङ्गल
A sacred set of eight auspicious symbols in Indian religions
🇮🇳 India and 1 more · Art or design
Decoration
Corn dolly
Straw figures shaped for harvest customs across Europe
🇮🇪 Ireland and 3 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Attarअत्तर, عطر
Traditional natural perfume oil distilled from flowers, herbs, and spices
🇮🇳 India and 2 more · Flower craft
Decoration
Ikebana華道
The Japanese art of arranging flowers with form and meaning
🇯🇵 Japan · Arrangement
Decoration
Pomander
A scented ball or container worn or carried to perfume the air
Worn flowers
Decoration
Rikka立花
A formal Japanese ikebana style with upright, symbolic floral arrangements
Arrangement
Decoration
Pohela Boishakhপহেলা বৈশাখ
Bengali New Year marked by processions, fairs, and flower-adorned gatherings
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 more · Custom, April
Iris florentina
A white, violet-scented iris grown for orris root and as a grave flower
🇮🇹 Italy and 7 more · Wildflower
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Garland: No machine-readable author provided. Piotrus assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Corn dolly: Renata ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Pushpanjali: Yosarian, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pohela Boishakh: Abidhasan00, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ashtamangala: Redtigerxyz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary: Žemaitijos kelias, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Well dressing: User:WhaleyTim, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- May Day Festival: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pomander: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Attar: Kerina yin, CC0, source
- rose oil: Itineranttrader, Public domain, source
- Rose water: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rose: User:Tigerente, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chrysanthemum: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GFDL 1.2, source
- Plumeria: Renesis, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bay laurel: Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us, source
- Bael: Asit K. Ghosh Thaumaturgist, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jasmine: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Birch: Willow, CC BY 2.5, source
- Star jasmine: Atamari, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Philippine violet: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0, source
- Yellowhorn: Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911), Public domain, source
- Iris florentina: Abrahami, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Thorn-apple: No machine-readable author provided. Taka assumed (based on copyright, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ikebana: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holly: Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, source
- Waterlily: Ragesoss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marigold: Pohled 111, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dianthus: Darkone ( talk · contribs ), CC BY-SA 1.0, source
- Hibiscus: Marshman at en.wikipedia / Eric Guinther, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Poinsettia: Frank Vincentz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Narcissus: Uberprutser, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aztec marigold: HitroMilanese, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Water-lily family: Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 2.5, source
- Pichhwai: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Rikka: Gryffindor, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Datura: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hyacinth: The wub, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lotus: Peripitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Prickly pear: JMK, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Calendula: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Small-leaved Lime: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Holy basil: Shashidhara halady, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ylang-ylang: User:B.navez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sacred lotus: T.Voekler, CC BY-SA 3.0, source