Flowers of peace. Flowers of war. Flowers of history. Flowers of hope!
National flowers are rarely deliberately chosen. Instead, they spring from the history, tradition, and living of a people.
They are brought into a country by the conqueror, like the tulip of Turkey, and assimilated and nationalized over the centuries.
Or they are honored because of their economic importance, as the sunflower of Russia. Or they are knighted on the battlefield, as the leek of Wales.
Or, more rarely, they represent the hopes and aspirations of a people, as the olive branch of the United Nations and Israel.
The birth, history, struggle for survival, and future of nations are symbolized in their national flowers.
Only one country—the United States—has no national flower at all!
| Country | Plant | Botanical Name |
| Albania | Olive tree | Olea europaea |
| Arabia | Date treo | Phoenix dactylifera |
| Argentina | Ceibo treo (Coral-bean tree; God tree) | Erythrina crista-galll |
| Armenia | Windflower | Anemone coronaria |
| Anatolia (Asia Minor) | Windflower | Anemone coronaria |
| Australia | Wattle (Mimosa) Blue gum-tree | Acacia longifolia Eucalyptus globulus |
| Austria | Edelweiss White lily | Leontopodium alpinum Lilium species |
| Belgium | Azalea Red Poppy | Rhododendron simsi Papaver rhoeas |
| Bolivia | Cantua (Khantua; Inca magic flower) | Cantua buxifolia |
| Borneo | Tapang tree (King of the forest) | Abauria species |
| Brazil | Cattleya orchid Croton Ipe (Trumpet bush) | Cattleya species Codiaeum variegatu Tecoma araliacea |
| Bulgaria | Red rose | Rosa aromatica |
| Myanmar (Burma) | Sal dammar tree | Shorea robusta |
| Canada | Leaf of Maple Tree | Acer rubrum; Acer saccharum |
| Chile | Copihue (Red Chile-bellflower) | Lapageria rosea |
| China | Lotus Peon Apricot Tree Narcissus (Chinese sacred lily) | Nelumbo nucifera Paeonia lactiflora Prunus mume N. tazetta orientalis |
| Colombia | Flor de mayo (Cattleya Mayflower) | Cattleya trianae |
| Costa Rica | Flor de San Sebastian (Guaria orchid) | Cattleya skinneri |
| Cuba | Cane of amber (Garland flower; Ginger lily) Royal Palm Tree | Hedychium coronarium Roystonea regia |
| Czechoslovakia | Rose Carnation Linden Tree | Rosa species Dianthus caryophyllus Tilia europaea |
| Denmark | Red clover Holly Beech tree | Trifolium pratense Ilex aquifolium Fagus sylvatica |
| Dominican Republic | Caoba tree (Mahogany tree) | Swietenia mahogani |
| Ecuador | White nun orchid Peruvian bark tree (Red cinchona) | Lycaste skinneri Cinchona succirubra |
| Egypt | Egyptian lotus (Waterlily) | Nymphaea lotus |
| El Salvador | Coffee tree | Coffea arabica |
| England | Rose | Rosa species |
| Eritrea | Calla | Zantedeschia species |
| Finland | Lily-of-the-valley Oak tree | Convallaria majalis Quercus species |
| France From Charlemagno to Louis XVI 1830 to date | Fleur-de-lis (Iris) Tricolor: Cornflower (blue) Ox-eye daisy (white) Poppy (red) | Iris species Centaurea cyanus Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Papaver Rhoeas |
| Germany | Cornflower | Centaurea cyanus |
| Greece | Acanthus (Bears breach) | Acanthus mollis |
| Guatemala | White nun orchid | Lycaste skinneri |
| Hungary | Tulip | Tulipa species |
| India | Blue lotus Peepul tree (Bo tree) | Nelumbium nucifera Ficus religiosa |
| Iran | Red rose | Rosa species |
| Iraq | Date tree | Phoenix dactylifera |
| Ireland | Shamrock | Trifolium species |
| Israel | Olive tree | Olea europaea |
| Italy | Ox-eye daisy Fleur-de-lis | Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Iris species |
| Japan | Chrysanthemum Cherry tree | Chrysanthemum species Prunus serrulata |
| Korea | Hollyhock | Althaea rosea |
| Liechtenstein | Orange lily | Lilium bulbiferum croceum |
| Lithuania | Rue | Ruta graveolens |
| Manchukuo | Orchid | Orchis species |
| Mexico | Dahlia Prickly pear Moriche palm tree | Dahlia species Nopalea cochenillifera Mauritia flexuosa |
| Netherlands | Mullein | Verbascum species |
| Nicaragua | Cane of amber (Garland flower; Ginger lily) White heliotrope | Hedychium coronarium Heliotropium species |
| Norway | Heather Spruce tree | Calluna vulgaria Picea species |
| Panama | Holy Ghost orchid Panama tree | Peristeria elata Sterculia apetala |
| Paraguay | Jasmine of Paraguay Lapacho tree | Brunfelsia hopeana (B. solanacea) Tabebuia species |
| Peru | Cantua (Inca magic flower) | Cantua buxifolia |
| Poland | Ox-eye daisy Pansy Poppy Rose mallow | Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Viola tricolor Papaver orientale Althaea rosea |
| Portugal | Lavender White Violet | Lavandula stoechas Viola species |
| Romania | White rose | Rosa species |
| San Salvador | Coffee tree | Coffea arabica |
| Scotland | Purple thistle | Onopordum acanthium |
| Spain | Carnation Pomegranate tree | Dianthus caryophyllus Punica granatum |
| Sweden | Lily-of-the-valley Amaranth Twin-flower Ox-eye daisy | Convallaria majalis Amaranthus species Linnaea borealis Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum |
| Switzerland | Rose of the Alps | Rhododendron ferrugineum |
| Tibet | Rose Apple | Syzygium jambos |
| Turkey | TulipRose | Tulipa speciesRosa species |
| United States of America | (No official national flower) | |
| Nature Magazine, poll results: | Wild rose Columbine Violet Goldenrod | Rosa species Aquilegia species Viola species Solidago species |
| USSR | Sunflower | Helianthus annuus |
| Uruguay | Ceibo tree (God tree) | Erythrina crista-galli |
| Venezuela | Venezuelian orchid | Catasetum pileatum |
| Wales | Leek Narcissus Oak tree | Allium porrum Narcissus species Quercus species |
| West Indies | Frangipani tree | Plumeria species |
| Yugoslavia | Linden tree | Tilia europaea |