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A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
 that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted.






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Dwsixspecies
Pict3818
A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
 that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more expensively than when labeled with only its name and/or origin. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
 that is in any way different from the way it appears in the wild as a native plant
Native plant

A Native plant is one that develops, occurs naturally, or has existed for many years in an area. These can be trees, flowers, grasses or any other plants....
, even if it is growing where it would not naturally.

Scientists do not refer to wildflowers and generally try to discourage people from using the term altogether. Terms like native species (naturally occurring in the area, see Flora (plants)), exotic or, better, introduced species
Introduced species

A species is defined as introduced in a certain geographical area, if that area is outside the species' indigenous distributional range, and the species has arrived there by human activity....
 (not naturally occurring in the area), of which some are labelled invasive species
Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
 (that out-compete other plants – whether native or not), imported (introduced to an area whether deliberately or accidentally) and naturalized (introduced to an area, but now considered by the public as native) are much more accurate.

In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, an organisation Plantlife International instituted in 2002 the County Flowers scheme whereby members of the public nominated and voted for a wild flower emblem for their county
County

A county is a land area of Local government government within a larger state. A county may have city and towns within its area....
. The aim was to spread awareness of the heritage of native species and about the need for conservation, as some of these species are endangered. For example, Somerset
Somerset

Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
 has adopted the Cheddar Pink (Dianthus
Dianthus

Dianthus is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species extending south to north Africa, and one species in arctic North America....
 gratianopolitanus), London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 the Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) and Denbighshire
Denbighshire

Denbighshire is a principal area and county in North Wales. It is named after the Denbighshire , but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales....
/Sir Ddinbych in Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
 the rare Limestone Woundwort (Stachys
Stachys

Stachys is a genus of about 300 species of Annual plant and perennial plant herbaceous plants and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae. The distribution of the genus covers Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and North America....
 alpina).

Typical examples


  • Adonis aestivalis
    Adonis aestivalis

    Adonis aestivalis is a medicinal plant and ornamental plant. It is native to Europe but has been introduced elsewhere, such as the western and eastern parts of the United States....
     - summer pheasant's-eye
  • Centaurea cyanus
  • Coreopsis tinctoria
  • Dianthus barbatusCCCC
  • Digitalis purpurea
    Digitalis purpurea

    Digitalis purpurea , is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae , native to most of Europe....
  • Eschscholzia californica - California Poppy
  • Gypsophila elegans
    Gypsophila elegans

    Gypsophila elegans is an ornamental plant native to Asia and Europe.References...


See also

  • Naturalisation
    Naturalisation (biology)

    In biology, naturalisation is the process when foreign or cultivated plants or animals have spread into the wild, where they multiply by natural regeneration....
  • Wildflowers of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
    Wildflowers of the Canadian Rocky Mountains

    Sorry, no overview for this topic
  • List of San Francisco Bay Area wildflowers
    List of San Francisco Bay Area wildflowers

    The San Francisco Bay Area is unusual, for a major metropolitan area, in having ready access to high quality rural and wilderness areas, as well as major urban parks....
  • Native plant
    Native plant

    A Native plant is one that develops, occurs naturally, or has existed for many years in an area. These can be trees, flowers, grasses or any other plants....
  • Wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains
    Wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains

    More than 1400 species of Wildflowers are native to the Great Smoky Mountains. Every spring in late April Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the site of the week long annual spring wildflower pilgrimage to celebrate this diversity....
  • Megaherbs
  • Spring ephemeral


External links

  • identification by color and petals, using Flickr content


  • uses a wide range of identifiers, links to other identifiers


  • Detailed information about wildflowers of Ontario (Canada) and Northeastern North America


  • Information and images of wildflowers from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center


  • promotes the use and conservation of wildflowers and native plants, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center








  • book by Neltje Blanchan


  • Information on 1250 native plant species to North Cyprus.


  • Ray Neyland "Wildflowers of the Coastal Plain". Baton Rouge, LA.:Louisiana State University Press
    Louisiana State University Press

    The Louisiana State University Press, founded in 1935, is a nonprofit book publisher dedicated to the publication of scholarly, general interest, and regional books....
    , 2009 ISBN 978-0-8071-3407-8