We see them all the time, all over the world these days and nearly everywhere we look, yet we tend to take them for granted. Yes, tropical flowers are certainly eye-catching and have a way of instantly adding charm, elegance and pizzazz to any area, but despite their prevalence, many people still don’t know what many of the common varieties are. In this article we’re going to examine a whole host of different types of tropical flowers and breakdown how they tend to be used in most floral arrangements…
African Moon
With a display of large white petals and a purples base, the African Moon is a very distinct type of flower that tends to grow up to 8” to 12” in height. They tend to be displayed in bunches by themselves when used during continuous growing or as stunning and homely highlights to spruce up an arrangement.
African Tulip
Producing orange-ish / red-ish blooms with a distinctive bell-like shape, the African Tulip is truly exquisite. They actually grow on a Spathodea tree and feature water that’s sealed up in each flower bud. African tulips are fairly versatile and can be used together in bunches to great effect or as an offset to match other types of very active colours / designs.
Alpine Aster
Giving off a display of light purple, violet pink and /or white, alpine asters are very useful in all types of floral arrangements and are typically found in ornamental rock gardens. Even though the plant is native to mountainous regions in Europe, it is still considered to be a tropical flower.
Amazon Lily
On their face, Amazon lilies sort of bear a striking resemblance to daffodils, but they are obviously quite different. Their green centre and brilliant white petals taking on a star-like formation make them ideal for bundling together in single flower-type arrangements. Needless to say they are very eye-catching and quite fragrant as well, which means they are typically displayed solely when harvested.
Begonia Non-stop Red
The non-stop red variety of begonias, which are extremely brilliant in colour and sprout on an annual basis, are excellent for outdoor planting and display. In essence, they are very easy to care for too as they are heat tolerant and do not require dead-heading. It should also be mentioned that (despite their name), they also come in all sorts of different colours.
Blanket flower
Yellow and rusty-red flowers arranged a bit like daisies – this is the general look of the blanket flower, which is commonly used in bouquets and arrangements. They bloom in the summer and are quite tolerant of dry conditions too, often touted as being somewhat “drought-resistant”.
Blue Dawn flower
Blue dawn flowers are quite large and very flashy, with an almost neon-like overall presentation of deep purplish blues. The plant itself has been called detrimental due to its ability to climb over virtually any surface and “take it over”, but they remain very beautiful nonetheless. These flowers make for a great accent, especially if you have a lattice display or pole that the plants can climb on and bloom from (just remember to keep them in check).
Bottle Brush
Rather than forming petals, the bottle brush flower features filaments which sprout and fan out like little colourful brushes. Actually, within each flower there is a fruit along with multitudes of seeds too. If they are left alone for a longer period of time these assets accumulate resulting in an eventual gushing forth of seeds which can then harvested. While they are typically planted somewhere more permanent, they can also be cut and used to accentuate more traditional-looking tropical flowers to great effect.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums should already be familiar to you if you have any interest in tropical flowers at all, given their popularity. One of the things which make them unique is that they don’t bloom one specific way or in one colour. As far as uses go, they are extremely versatile – being used in both planters and in permanent settings as well as colourful statements in a variety of different floral arrangements (specific colours corresponding to certain “messages” to be conveyed and so forth).
Decorative Dahlia
Decorative Dahlia produce a double bloom which masks their underlying base or disc. They come in a variety of stunningly rich colours and are useful for both cut arrangements as well as in landscaping. Moreover, care and maintenance of dahlias is generally considered to be rather easy as well.
Frangipani
You might recognize the Frangipani by its other name – the Lei flower native to the Hawaiian islands. They produce an absolutely beautiful star-like formation that’s also extremely fragrant. Because of these factors they are often prime flowers to use in such offerings as bouquets or to place in specific areas where a bit of natural “scent enhancement” might be necessary.
Hibiscus
The Hibiscus is yet another extremely well-known and loved variety of tropical flower that is fairly easy to care for and grow. They come in a wide variety of stunning colours and are also known as the “queen of the tropics” in certain territories. Aside from being great for planting, landscaping and in arrangements, they are also used in paper making, medicines, food and more.
Lotus
Lotus flowers are mostly known for their eastern religious connections, but are also used as food source throughout the world as well. Their large petals will bloom typically white or pink and they obviously remain extremely versatile to include in any type of floral arrangement you can imagine.
Morning Glory
There are literally hundreds of distinct species under the Morning Glory heading, each one possessing its own unique characteristics and/or colours. Typically speaking, they bloom into a funnel-like shape in one of five different colours and are great for planting on or near walls, fences and the like.
Sophornitella
Despite their rather diminutive size, the Sophornitella produces quite large flowers which bloom into a very distinctive and “showy” six-sided arrangement in a purple-ish pink-ish shade. Despite the fact that they’re found all over, they tend to look similar regardless of their source. Naturally, they make great additions to any floral arrangement, either as an accent or main display.