Mexican flowers are of a different caliber when compared to flowers from other countries. Even a tiny Mexican flower, like the white-blooming Mexican Frangipani, has an exquisite form and fragrance.
In this article, we will explore and discover the many Mexican flowers. Keep reading as you will be inspired to plant and watch their flowers grow in your very own garden.
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List of The Most Popular Mexican Flowers
Mexico plays host to a lot of beautiful and exotic plants that produce beautiful flowers and even delicious fruits. Being an essential component of the country’s vast ecosystems, Mexican flowers help in the pollination of fruit trees.
Their contribution is so critical that even the smallest Mexican flower can cause an impact on its environment. Continue reading the list of our top most beloved plants that can be found originally in Mexico.
1. Dahlia
The dahlia is a Mexican flower that has been adapted to also become its national and domestic flower. The dahlia is a perennial plant that has tuberous roots, although some regions grow it as an annual. The plant is a member of the plant family Asteraceae, which refers to the star-like rays of flowers and florets that surround the flowerhead.
The dahlia plant thrives in fertile well-draining soil that has a constant moisture level. Ideally, they should be planted in a sunny spot that protects them from strong winds. Taller dahlia varieties will need to be supported by stakes. When grown in warm climates, the dahlia can be left alone as a perennial.
When grown in regions that experience colder climates, you can dig up the dahlia tubers and place them in an area that is free from frost. Greenhouses and sheds are perfect storage areas to overwinter your dahlia plants. In the early weeks of Spring, which is in April, you can slowly coax them awake from dormancy and plant them from May onwards.
“Why is the dahlia Mexico national flower?” most people would probably ask. The dahlia is a source of food, medicine, and horticultural beauty in Mexican culture. Since it is intrinsic to the nation’s identity, it eventually became the state’s flower in 1963.
Dahlias flowers symbolize kindness, commitment, and beauty for many flower enthusiasts. Dahlias are also associated with steadfastness due to their continued blooming even after other flowers have stopped.
2. Cosmos
Another Mexican flower that people quickly identify is the cosmos, with the Chocolate cosmos variety in particular. Known scientifically as Cosmos atrosanguineus, the Chocolate cosmos emits a lovely cocoa smell. However, the flower is not suitable for human consumption. Aside from the delectable fragrance, the flower gets its name from the dark reddish-brown petals.
Chocolate cosmos plants thrive in well-draining soil that has adequate amounts of moisture. Too much water can cause the roots of the plant to rot. A weekly deep watering schedule will keep your plant happy and healthy.
This type of cosmos also appreciates six hours of full sunlight as it is a sun-loving plant. In the language of flowers, cosmos blooms represent order and harmony.
3. Frangipani
The Mexican frangipani plant is known for its beautiful elongated leaves and showy scented flowers. Known by other names such as the Hawaiian Lei flower, plumeria rubra, or simply plumeria, the frangipani is beloved by Mexicans for its shady foliage that offers refuge from the hot scorching sun.
The Mexican frangipani belongs to the genus Plumeria, which is native to Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and, of course, Mexico. The name Plumeria was given to honor Charles Plumer, who was an accomplished French botanist and monk.
Rubra means red in Latin, which was the color of the flower that was prominent in the area of discovery. Currently, it is widely cultivated almost all over the world, even in regions that experience cooler seasons.
The Mexican frangipani prefers to grow in well-draining soil in an area that has at least six hours of sun exposure. Like most tropical plants, the Plumeria rubra can experience root rot when its roots are in constant contact with overly wet soil.
However, if you provide the tree with the right amount of appropriate fertilizers, you can encourage it to grow bigger and flower more profusely.
Different cultures have various symbolisms tied to the frangipani flower. Eastern cultures associate these flowers with spiritual beings while Hawaiian cultures welcome guests with garlands of frangipani flowers. The flowers can come in many colors, ranging from pure whites to pastels and even into vibrant hues with each type having a scent different from the others.
4. Lady’s Slipper Orchid
The endangered Mexican Lady’s Slipper orchid usually grows in terrestrial settings, although some are perfectly fine growing on trees and rocks. The Lady’s Slipper orchid requires bright light but not direct sun exposure. To keep it healthy in cultivation, keep the substrate or growing medium evenly moist at all times. Humidity should be kept around 50 to 60 percent.
The blooms of the Mexican Lady’s Slipper orchid come in a multitude of colors, from white flowers to dark pink and even in combinations. To encourage blooms, apply organic orchid fertilizers such as fish emulsion twice a month.
In addition, you may also easily propagate this orchid by dividing a large plant into clumps of two to three growths. This beautiful orchid is associated with capricious beauty and is given to ladies who inspire sudden attraction.
5. Laelia Orchid
The Laelia orchid is closely related to the cattleya orchid as they are readily cross-propagated to create new hybrids and cultivars, such as Laelia rubescens.
Laelia orchids are known for their gorgeous blooms which are plucked to be displayed as indoor and body decorations. These stunning Mexican bloomers look equally at home as table centerpieces as well as on their inflorescences.
Symbolizing love, luxury, and beauty, this orchid blooms all year round in its native home in Mexico. It requires very bright light but will burn easily when exposed to direct sun.
Since these orchids are used to the hot Mexican climate, it does not require constant watering. In fact, it is best to keep their growing medium slightly moist since too much moisture can cause their roots to rot.
The Laelia is a low-maintenance plant that does not need heavy fertilizing. You can feed them with a very diluted organic orchid fertilizer during the growing season. Nonetheless, if you intend to cultivate them in areas that experience winter, stop watering and fertilizing during the cold seasons. Orchids, such as the Laelia, are known to symbolize beauty, strength, and opulence.
6. Mexican Hat Flower
The Mexican Hat Flower, also known scientifically as Ratibida columnifera, is one of the most interesting flowers from Mexico, due to its unusual appearance. This beautiful perennial wildflower requires very little care and easily grows and blooms for months. It is called the Mexican Hat due to the very strong resemblance of the bloom to a Mexican sombrero.
The native Mexican flower attracts many bees, drawing them closer to their red and yellow blooms with a large protruding cone in the center. The Hat Flower is very easy to grow and can last up to two to three years, despite being an annual plant. Grow these amazing wildflowers in your garden for that rustic cottage feel.
The Hat Flower will grow well under full sun and in well-draining soil. Since it is a wildflower, it will tolerate periods of drought in nature. In your garden, you can water the plant sparingly as they prefer mild to dry soil conditions over clay and loamy soils.
These plants will not require fertilization although you can amend your soil with some organic compost. The Hat Flower represents good luck and friendship when grown or given.
7. Mexican Honeysuckle
This is a perennial plant in Mexico and will perish in cold temperatures, especially those that experience frost. Also known by its scientific name Justicia spicigera, this Mexican plant is not true honeysuckle. It does attract bees and birds just like real honeysuckle vines. Although the Mexican flowers resemble most honeysuckle blooms, the plant itself is not a vine.
While the Mexican type of honeysuckle is very adaptable, it grows best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers soil that drains well and does not need any fertilization.
The bright reddish-orange blooms come out throughout the year in Mexico. These slender orange tubes give hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators much-needed refreshment.
When grown in colder climates, this honeysuckle may experience some damage. In this case, always check if your region is ideal for growing this fantastic Mexican Firecracker Bush. The brightness of the tubular orange blossoms of the Mexican Firecracker Bush is associated with fortune and happiness.
8. Mexican Marigold
Since the Mexican marigold symbolizes grief and despair, this cheerful little plant has become a staple during dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead in Mexico. Dia de los Muertos is an important holiday in Mexico since it honors the departed ones by remembering their lives.
The marigold is often offered to Mexican deities to ask the dead to commune with family members during the first and second days of November. The marigold flowers are often made into large decorative items on family altars. The sweetly pungent scent of the marigold flower is said to guide the souls toward their family homes.
The scientific name of the Mexican marigold flower is Tagetes erecta and is part of the daisy family Asteraceae. The plant prefers loamy and well-draining sandy soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH level. The flowers are often beautifully golden, although some blooms come in yellows and whites.
The flowers of the Mexican marigold can have different symbolisms. The most common one refers to sacred affection, while some believe it is associated with grief and sorrow since the plant is sometimes called Flower of the Dead.
9. Mexican Morning Glory
Morning glory plants are extremely low maintenance since all they need is just some water during drier periods of the year. In Mexico, the glory plant grows prolifically all over the country, draping walls and fences with lush foliage and dotted with pretty flowers.
The Mexican morning-glory has a beautiful cascading nature. Each soft blue flower can have a white or lavender center. Not all morning-glory plants have blue blooms, however, since there are some that produce pure white, peaceful purple, and bright pink blooms.
This beautiful plant requires very little care and maintenance even as a seedling. Symbolizing unfulfilled love, the Mexican morning glory requires full sun to flower while in well-draining moist soils.
The blooms of the morning glory are often associated with strength, hope, and fulfillment of dreams. Since the flowers are quite resilient, it is believed that growing this plant will help people grow through adversity.
10. Mexican Passion Flower
The passion bloomers enjoy full sun and partially shaded locations while growing in well-draining soils. When grown in its local habitat, this flower prefers to be in a sheltered spot, protected from heavy winds and rain. Known scientifically as Passiflora Mexicana, the striking and colorful blooms have a deeper symbolism.
Representing the death of Christ, people have used the structure of the flower to imbue the Mexican passion with metaphoric imagery.
The flower comes in different color variations, usually in red and green or in purple and yellow. This flowering plant shows off its majestic blooms during the later parts of summer.
The blooms borne from the woody vine of the Mexican Passion are a strong representation of Christian faiths. Roman Catholics believe that many parts of the part symbolize many parts of the Passion of the Christ.
11. Mexican Poppy
The Mexican poppy is known traditionally in Mexico due to its medicinal purposes. Since it is a type of wildflower, they easily pop up in large empty areas and can overtake the space quickly. Also known as the Mexican prickly poppy and the flowering thistle, it is more often used as homemade cures rather than grown commercially.
In Mexico, this particular plant is known to soothe chest pains and asthma. Traditional folk medicine claims that it also acts as a curative for blood issues, and liver concerns. The Mexican poppy is said to reduce bad breath, reduce fevers, and work as a purgative.
The Mexican poppy is extremely tolerant of poor soils and droughts. Parts of the plant and flower are toxic, however. If used as medicine, it is best to consult with certified health professionals.
While the Mexican poppy is widely known due to its medicinal properties, the flower has other symbolisms. The yellow and white shades of the blossoms represent sleep and peace.
12. Mexican Sunflower
The Mexican sunflower looks similar to daisies, coming in vibrant shades of yellows and reds. The shrub can easily grow up to 120 flowers, making each plant dense and full of gorgeous blooms.
This type of sunflower attracts numerous pollinators, especially butterflies, to increase their reproduction. On the other hand, one thing to know about this flower is that it is an annual flower that blooms throughout the summer season.
Symbolic of faith, loyalty, and adoration, the specific sunflower displays its sunny flowers for all admirers to see. This beautiful annual plant has multiple uses in the fuel, compost, erosion control, and poultry industries. It is also known by its scientific terminology, Tithonia diversiflora.
Since the Mexican kind of sunflower attracts many pollinating insects, symbolic associations have been attached to this marvelous flower. The cheery vibrant blooms represent adoration, faith, and loyalty, which is how this flower is known and famously recognized.
13. Poinsettia
Most people know this by its common name since its scientific name, Euphorbia pucherrima, is harder to recall.
The poinsettia is indigenous to Central America and Mexico, being one of the most commercially important plants in its family. Used widely in Christmas displays due to its festive red and lush green foliage, the poinsettia plant is actually very easy to cultivate.
The poinsettia thrives when exposed to bright indirect light. The soil should be well-draining to reduce the risks of root rot.
When watering, water the soil thoroughly and allow the soil to dry out slightly before watering again. The poinsettia can be sensitive to cold, so it is best to keep it or grow it in warmer climates.
The colors of the poinsettia leaves tend to change from green to red during the later parts of the year. This is due to shorter days and longer nights. Since the colors of the plant are festive, the plant has become part of the Mexican fiesta events held during Christmas.
Giving or growing Mexican poinsettia plants illustrates cheer, joy, and success even outside of the holidays, hence this is how it is known famously.
14. Sage
Sage comes in many cultivars and varieties, with many of them not suitable for culinary purposes. The most common ones we know of end up in our food, but here are some sage varieties you may not know but are common in Mexico.
Gentian sage, also known as Salvia patens, has an incredibly light shade of blue colored flowers. Also known as the spreading sage, this species of the flowering sage family can be found naturally in Mexico. Beloved for its beautiful pure blue blooms, the Gentian is a wonderful plant to grow and fill in large empty areas.
The Belize sage has red tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds. The smooth compact habit of this plant makes it easy to cultivate and maintain. It grows best in neutral soils although it can tolerate mildly acidic and mildly alkaline soils as well. The Belize sage appreciates bright filtered light and well-draining, fertile, moist soils.
Salvia elegans, also known as Pineapple sage, belongs to the mint family and should not be considered a culinary normal sage substitute. This sage is very simple to grow and is a favorite hummingbird food.
The flowers are edible with a sweet fruity taste mixed with mint and spices. Once crushed, the elegant flowers actually do smell like pineapples, hence this is how they get their name; nonetheless, they make perfect additions to herb gardens.
Salvia represents good health, good esteem, longevity, and wisdom in the language of plants and flowers. Its common name, sage, suggests divine knowledge and connection to the spiritual realm.
15. Sword Lily
This particular Mexican flower has an interesting story and symbolism. Since the flowers of these beautiful lilies grow on top of each other, the whole inflorescence resembles a sword.
The flowers come in a variety of colors in shades of pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, and white.
This Lily, also known as gladiolus, is frequently used during the famous holiday of dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. They are offered to swordsmen due to their shapes.
This type of lilies is used to represent sympathy and reconnection to the loved ones’ memories, especially during the celebration of the Day of the Dead. These flowers are often arranged as offerings in altars as well as in decorations honoring the departed.
16. Yucca
The Yucca baccata is a succulent that produces a fruit that resembles the shape of a banana. The fruit is used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The yucca flower has a pleasantly sweet fragrance which Mexicans boil to add to soups and stews.
It is best to eat parts of the yucca plant after they are cooked. This is because some parts of the plant, especially those that contain the sap, are mildly toxic for humans.
On the other hand, the yucca has interesting symbolisms attached to it despite its casual appearance. Yucca plants represent purity, protection, loyalty, and new opportunities.
Conclusion
Understanding the diverse array of Mexican flowers, such as the vibrant Mexican marigolds, the iconic flowering cactus varieties like the silken pincushion cactus, and the beautiful Mexican sunflowers, is not only entertaining but also culturally enriching. Whether you plan to grow them or visit Mexico to witness these natural wonders firsthand, each Mexican flower, from the national flower to the unique orchids, carries profound symbolism and beauty.
Now that you’ve been introduced to some of Mexico’s most popular flowers, including the cosmos family and their interesting petal patterns, perennial plants like the Mexican marigolds, and the orchid family with their distinct flower smells, your curiosity might be piqued to explore further.
Perhaps you’ll be inspired to visit Mexico during a traditional Mexican holiday to see these blooms in their natural setting, or bring a piece of Mexico to your garden by cultivating these flowers yourself.
The varied world of Mexican flowers, from the dead flowers that bloom in arid landscapes to the flowering cacti found throughout the region, offers endless possibilities for discovery and appreciation.
Nonetheless, we hope you have a great time exploring the fascinating and vibrant world of Mexican flowers, each telling a unique story and adding a splash of color and life wherever they are found.
